German carmaker Audi has started production of the Q7 luxury-class sport utility vehicle (SUV) at its Aurangabad plant in Maharashtra, India.
The company will manufacture 1,000 Audi Q7 SUVs per year at its newly built hall at the group plant Skoda Auto India (SAIPL) in Aurangabad.
Production of the new Q7 marks the fourth model to be built in India following the Audi A4, Audi A6 and Audi Q5.
Apart from Q7 models, the automaker is also planning to build the Audi Q3 in the new hall, which covers a floor area of 20,000sq m by the middle of 2013.
Audi India head Michael Perschke sad that local production of the Q7 means the company is now building a second Q model locally.
"That will reduce waiting times for our customers and we will be able to offer a wider range of versions in the market," Perschke said.
From January to October 2012, Audi increased its sales in the Indian market by 55% to 7,273 vehicles.
