Festive weekend boosts cars and two-wheeler sales

The Indian market witnesses a sales surge for passenger vehicles and two-wheelers every year during the festive season, which spans from Dhanteras to Bhai dooj. Traditionally, this period has been the best sales period for every automaker in the country. This year too, sales of cars and two-wheelers surged during Navratri and Diwali, buoyed by festive spirits and better availability of vehicles compared to 2022, reports Livemint.

Many Indian consumers prefer taking delivery of their new cars or two-wheelers during the festive period. The belief related to the auspiciousness of this period and upbeat sentiment due to festivities help to boost the consumer spirits. This year was no different and buoyed by this trend, automakers are reportedly expecting a massive sales surge during the Dhanteras and Bhai dooj period, just like the Navratri period.

India's biggest car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki believes industry-wide deliveries of passenger vehicles during the Dhanteras to Bhai dooj period, which spanned between November 10-15, would touch around 57,000 units., up by 21 per cent from a year ago period. Maruti Suzuki's Executive Director Shashank Srivastava reportedly said that there would be a clearer picture of the sales figures by Bhai dooj. “However, we should wait until Bhai Dooj to get a clearer picture with actual retail figures as some deliveries also take place on that day. For Maruti Suzuki, we delivered close to 21,000 units on Dhanteras and are estimating deliveries of around 27,000 units for the Dhanteras-Bhai Dooj period," he reportedly said.

The report further claims that an estimated 41,000 passenger vehicles were delivered across India on Dhanteras, compared with 32,000 PVs last year, registering a 38 per cent year-on-year growth. Hyundai reportedly delivered a total of 10,293 cars on Dhanteras, surpassing last year's numbers by more than double. Hyundai Motor India's Chief Operating Officer Tarun Garg believes the announcement of six airbags as a standard safety feature in every Hyundai car played a key role in this growth.

Growth in the luxury car segment

The sales surge during Dhanteras and Diwali not only boosted sales for the mass-market automakers but for the luxury car brands as well. The report claims that luxury carmakers too saw record deliveries during Dhanteras and Diwali, even as the auto companies grappled with global supply chain disruptions constraining product availability in India.

Santosh Iyer, MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, reportedly said that the German automaker witnessed record deliveries during Dhanteras and Diwali. “We have seen record deliveries during this year’s Dhanteras and Diwali, underlining a strong customer sentiment. However, supply chain-related disruptions continue to affect the production of SUVs, especially the GLC. We expect these disruptions to continue in the coming months as well," he added.

Two-wheelers raked in double-digit growth

While the growth in the passenger vehicle segment including both mass-market and luxury categories was impressive, two-wheelers were not far behind. The report claims that two-wheelers witnessed a strong double-digit growth in retail numbers. The report hints there was at least a 20 per cent hike in sales during Dhanteras and Navratri compared to last year.

The report further claims that a dealer of Hero MotoCorp in Rajasthan has registered even 37 per cent growth in sales during the Navratri-Bhai dooj period. On the other hand, a Pune-based dealer of TVS Motor Company reportedly registered about 20 per cent year-on-year growth in sales of 125 cc and above motorcycles and scooters during the Dhanteras and Diwali period.