Audi Designs Special "Extra Loud" Horns For Indian Market

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Horns are a fixture of Indian driving. Rather than being used to signal anger like in the United States, horns are used for almost everything on Indian roads – one study found that major intersections in Calcutta have one horn honk every three seconds.

Just like Audi’s Chinese cars come with longer wheelbases, Indian Audis have loud horns. Really loud horns. Audi India head Michael Perschke told a conference of luxury retailers that the company actually designs louder horns for the Indian market. According to a report in The Globe and Mail

“Obviously for India, the horn is a category in itself,” he told the Indian financial newspaper Mint. “You take a European horn and it will be gone in a week or two. With the amount of honking in Mumbai, we do on a daily basis what an average German does on an annual basis.”

Perschke said that the horns are blown continuously for two weeks to test their strength. India supposedly has decibel level laws design to eliminate this problem, but like many other regulations in the country, they are flouted with little regard for the law. Traffic wardens and other residents of major cities are experiencing a hearing-loss epidemic, which is being blamed partially on the sheer noise of motor vehicles. Taking a cue from Chinese vehicles, Audi also said that their future Indian products will focus more on rear-seat comfort, since most well-to-do Indians have a driver.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Claytori Claytori on Mar 28, 2012

    In Peru there seems to be an obligation for drivers to honk at pedestrians to warn of an approaching vehicle, but none to prevent them from hitting those pedestrians if they don't move out of the way.

  • Thinx Thinx on Mar 28, 2012

    When I went to Bangalore a few years ago, every time I stepped out of my hotel the first couple of days, the horns made me think there was a parade of some sort passing by. I actually kind of missed the noise when I got back Stateside after a few weeks there. It just seemed more cheerful with all the beep-beeps.

  • Boxelder Boxelder on Mar 28, 2012

    China's bad, but Egypt's downright awful. The cacophony of horns in Cairo at all hours is enough to drive one to madness.

  • Jsevenseven Jsevenseven on Mar 28, 2012

    Living in India for the past few months the only driving rule seems to be that you must honk your horn every 15 seconds. The outside mirrors get folded in lest they get clipped by a scooter or motorcycle trying to squeeze by in traffic. And the rear view mirror has to angled in such a way that the driver can watch himself drive.

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