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Audi of Germany was the country's fastest growing luxury car brand last year, with sales revving up 102 per cent to 435 units, its local importer and trader DRB-HICOM Bhd managing director Datuk Seri Mohd Khamil Jamil said.

The growth momentum will continue this year with an expected sales volume of 700 units, Khamil said. This will be pushed by continued strong demand by the likes of the A4 sedan and Q5 sports utility vehicle.

Company executives said while the A4 is the best-selling model here, the Q5 is also a big hit with a waiting list of at least nine months.

"If you order your Q5 today, you may get it next year," one of them remarked.

DRB-HICOM has been the local sole importer and trader of Audi vehicles since 2003 through wholly owned Euromobil Sdn Bhd. "Under the Euromobil banner, Audi's market share in the luxury car segment in Malaysia for 2009 grew to 5 per cent," Khamil said.

Based on industry data, the luxury car segment grew 14 per cent year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2009, despite the economic crisis. Khamil spoke at a press conference after the launch of the new Audi Kuala Lumpur showroom by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Thursday.

The premier also unveiled for the first time ever in Malaysia, the Audi R8 V10 sports car and the Audi A5. Khamil said DRB-HICOM has set aside a RM20 million budget for three new Audi sales and service outlets, including the Audi KL this year. The Audi KL in Bukit Bintang alone costs RM6 million. It's a one-and-a-half storey building with a total built-up area of 8,048 sq ft.

The group plans to open an after-sales service centre at Jalan Chan Sow Lin in Kuala Lumpur in May and a 3S (sales, services and spare parts) centre near Queens Bay Mall in Penang later this year. Audi's existing network of 3S centres are located in Shah Alam, Juru in Penang and Johor Baru. Khamil said the RM20 million budget reflects the group's commitment to expanding its Audi business and making it the most preferred luxury car brand in the country.

The budget commitment is also in line with the principal Audi AG's ambition of becoming the world's top luxury carmaker by 2015. "As the country's fastest-growing luxury brand, the opening of Audi Kuala Lumpur serves as the hallmark of the Audi brand in Malaysia," he said.

Meanwhile, Khamil said the price of the 5.2-litre R8 V10 is not finalised yet but it may be sold at around RM1.4 million. The R8 V10 is renowned for its double victory in the "World Car of The Year Awards" in 2008 in the category of performance car as well as the "World Car Design of The Year".

http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/audi3/Article/index_html