Car & SUV sales during Navratri up 59% over '19

New Delhi: Amidst easing of semiconductor crunch, auto retail sales in the Navratri-Dussehra period surged past the pre-pandemic numbers despite inflationary pressures and rising interest rates.
Nearly 5.4 lakh vehicles, of all categories, were sold during the 10 days, up 16% from about 4.7 lakh during the same period in 2019, and up 57% over 3.4 lakh last year, shows data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers' Association.Car and SUV sales were up 59% at 1.1 lakh units sold during Navratri-Dussehra over 69,657 units in 2019 and up 71% over 64,850 units last year.
The growth was spread across categories, ranging from personal vehicles such as cars, SUVs, and two-wheelers, to commercial vehicles, three-wheelers, and tractors.
"We are enthused by the retail demand and expect the trend to continue in the run-up to the Diwali period," said Manish Raj Singhania, president of the Federation of Automobile Dealers' Association. Mainstream companies such as Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Maruti have seen strong demand, which has also been equally strong for luxury makers such as Mercedes-Benz.
The demand in passenger vehicles is led by SUVs such as Mahindra's Scorpio-N and XUV7OO, Tata's Nexon, Maruti's Grand Vitara, and Kia's Carens. A comeback of personal mobility post the pandemic has seen demand stay exceptionally strong in the past one-and-a-half years as people are buying vehicles due to fears around coronavirus and also due to the need for social distancing. For two-wheelers, the growth was relatively subdued, but still ending in the positive territory.