PUNE: Audi, the third biggest German luxury car maker in the fiercely competitive luxury car market, has announced a change of guard, naming Balbir Singh Dhillon as Head at Audi India to arrest the declining sales over last three straight years.

Dillion, who will take charge from September 1, has a herculean task to get back to its pole position achieved in 2014 with highest sales of 10,851 cars, when it beat compatriot archrival and current market leader Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

But Audi's sales started slipping and it closed last year with 6,463 units (in 2017 it was 7,876 units and in 2016 it was 7,742 units). In comparison, Mercedes-Benz closed 2018 with sales of around 15,500 units, while BMW group sold 11,105 cars.