India's largest passenger-vehicle maker, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, demonstrated robust growth during the key festival period, with retail sales growing 35% between Ganesh Chaturthi and Dussehra. According to Senior Executive Officer for Marketing and Sales, Partho Banerjee, the company achieved small-car retail growth of around 16% while SUV retail volumes doubled during this period. As reported by PTI, Banerjee highlighted that "The festive season has been encouraging for Maruti Suzuki, with strong customer demand through Navratri. Between Ganesh Chaturthi and Dussehra, our retail sales grew by 35%, with small-car retail increasing by around 16% and SUV retail doubling." The company began October with pending bookings of around 2 lakh units, which have increased to 2.7 lakh units after Dussehra, representing an addition of around 70,000 vehicles to its pending booking pipeline. According to Informist Media, prominent listed passenger vehicle makers reported that retail sales of their cars in the festival season have been 'encouraging' so far and expect this momentum to continue until Diwali.
Despite industry-wide challenges, Maruti Suzuki maintained resilient performance during this year's Navratri period. According to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations provisional data, passenger vehicle registration fell 22% year-on-year to 1,82,728 units during the Navratri period (October 11-20) compared to the previous year due to a high base effect. However, Maruti Suzuki's vehicle deliveries during this period were almost identical to last year, with deliveries around 98% of last year's levels. As reported by PTI, Banerjee noted that deliveries were almost the same in the Navratri period this year versus last year, with the company maintaining strong customer service despite market headwinds. Despite the growth recorded between Ganesh Chaturthi and Dussehra, Maruti Suzuki's retail sales during Navratri alone remained broadly unchanged from the corresponding period last year. According to Informist Media, Tata Motors PV delivered over 50,000 vehicles during Navratri and has stepped up production and sharpened logistics to improve availability of high-demand models and variants.
Hyundai Motor India Ltd also reported a strong start to the festive season, supported by robust sales during Onam and Ganesh Chaturthi. During Shradh and Navratri, the company recorded a 30% year-on-year increase in vehicle registrations, reaching nearly 41,000 units. Tarun Garg, MD and CEO of HMIL, said the company expected the momentum to continue through Dhanteras and Diwali, citing the pace of bookings and healthy demand across urban and rural markets. "Considering the pace of bookings, we expect momentum to continue through Dhanteras and Diwali," Garg said. Hyundai is also seeing strong customer interest in its new nameplate, the Hyundai BAYON, which, according to Garg, is scheduled to be launched early next week.
Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles reported encouraging demand across its multi-powertrain portfolio of cars and SUVs, supported by improved customer sentiment and increased showroom walk-ins, enquiries, bookings and deliveries. The company delivered more than 50,000 vehicles during the Navratri festive period, including over 10,000 vehicles on Dussehra alone. "The response during Navratri has been particularly encouraging, with over 50,000 vehicles delivered during this festive period, including more than 10,000 on Dussehra alone," said Amit Kamat, Chief Commercial Officer, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd. To capitalise on demand, the automaker has increased production and strengthened logistics to improve the availability of high-demand models and variants. Kamat said the company was working to ensure that more customers could bring home their preferred Tata vehicles during the festive season, with bookings remaining healthy and celebrations building towards Diwali.
India's largest passenger-vehicle makers expect double-digit growth in retail sales for the festival season from Onam to Diwali this year. As reported by PTI, Senior Executive Officer for Marketing and Sales, Partho Banerjee, stated that the automaker anticipates strong performance during the festive period. The company's optimistic outlook comes after experiencing weak auto sales during the same period last year when consumers held back purchases expecting GST reductions. "With this strong demand momentum, we expect the positive trend to continue and anticipate double-digit growth for the entire festive period through Diwali," Banerjee told PTI when asked about the outlook. According to Informist Media, Tata Motors PV Chief Commercial Officer Amit Kamat stated that "With a healthy booking pipeline and the celebrations building towards Diwali, we look forward to carrying this strong momentum through the festive season." The current festival season outlook contrasts sharply with last year's performance, when auto sales from Onam to the first day of Navratri were weak as consumers held back purchases expecting GST reductions.
