With the festive season approaching, car and bike dealers expect a pick-up in sales, which could drive up to 40 per cent of the sales of personal car and two-wheelers from across the country. According to dealers, around 2 lakh units will be sold in the period between Navratri and Diwali, while around 8 lakh units have been booked so far. Moreover, according to FADA (Federation of Automobile Dealers Association), retail sales witnessed a growth of over 57 per cent during the Navratri season this year. In fact, domestic passenger vehicle sales registered a growth of 92 per cent in September with cumulative sales of 3,07,389 units, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).
The total passenger vehicle sales of cars and vans in the domestic market stood at 1,60,212 units in September last year. Media reports quoted FADA President Manish Raj Singhania as saying that dealers are expecting record bookings as customers insist on deliveries during the Dhanteras period. According to auto retailers, sales jumped 11 per cent in September due to increased supplies from manufacturers with the beginning of the Diwali season.
Interestingly, the SUV segment and the mid-sized SUV segment recorded higher sales last month. While Hyundai Creta remained the best-selling mid-size SUV, it was followed by Kia Seltos with 11,000 units sold last month. After this, Mahindra Scorpio remained the third best-selling mid-size SUV in the country. Moreover, the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara registered a good response from the Indian market soon after the launch. While Maruti Suzuki retained the top spot with cumulative sales, registering a year-on-year growth of 135 per cent, the second and third positions were bagged by Hyundai and Tata Motors with a growth of 50.2 and 85.2 per cent, respectively.
IANS. with inputs of