With clients like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Bipasha Basu, German luxury car maker Audi has a vital target market in Mumbai-based film stars and is looking at a 50 percent growth in India this year.

"Quite a few Bollywood stars have picked up Audi cars in India. Whether it is Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan or Katrina Kaif - each of them has one Audi parked in their garage," Martin Birkner, marketing head of Audi in India, told IANS.

"I won't say they make a major market for us, but they certainly are an important market for Audi, at least in Mumbai."

According to Birkner, Salman is the latest to buy the car - he bought an Audi A8, while Neil Nitin Mukesh owns Q7, a recently launched SUV by Audi. A Q7 can cost anything from Rs.63 laks to Rs.76 lakhs. An Audi A8 ranges from Rs.71 lakhs to Rs.1 crore in India.

Among actresses, Bipasha pampered herself with the luxury vehicle, he said.

To promote the brand, Audi India has been partnering with Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) for the last four seasons.

This year they are displaying Q7 and sports car Audi R8, which is one of the most popular models, at the ongoing fashion and luxury event being held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. A toy car, which costs Rs.11 lakh, is also catching people's fancy.

Indo-Asian News Service