Vehicle sales record MASSIVE growth during Navratri, nearly 5.4 lakh units sold: FADA

Navratri is one of the auspicious festivals celebrated in India and buying a vehicle during those days is no less than the icing on the cake. Having said that, the latest report by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations reveals that vehicle retail sales in the country rose 57 percent during the Navratri festival this year, clocking a record sales of nearly 5.4 lakh units. Total vehicle retail sales between September 26 and October 5, 2022, stood at 5,39,227 units compared to 3,42,459 units sold during Navratri last year, FADA said in a statement. The sales registered this year were also a record, bettering the previous best of 4,66,128 units in Navratri of 2019, it added.

Navratri sales show that customers are back in showrooms after a gap of three years, FADA President Manish Raj Singhania said. As per the FADA data, two-wheeler retail sales in this year's Navratri stood at 3,69,020 units against 2,42,213 units during the festive period last year, showing a growth of 52.35 percent. Compared to 3,55,851 units clocked in the Navratri of the pre-Covid year 2019 the two-wheeler sales growth was 3.7 percent.

"Two-wheeler category, which was continuously showing weakness when compared to pre-Covid months, also registered single-digit growth," Singhania said. Passenger vehicle sales during this year's Navratri stood at 1,10,521 units against 64,850 units last year, a growth of 70.43 percent, FADA said.

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Similarly, commercial vehicle retail also grew by 48.25 percent to 22,437 units from 15,135 units sold in Navratri last year. The growth was also witnessed in the three-wheeler category, which posted sales of 19,809 units in Navratri this year compared to 9,203 units last year. Tractor sales also jumped 57.66 percent to 17,440 units from 11,062 units sold in Navratri 2021.

"We now hope that this trend continues till Deepawali so that apart from passenger vehicle dealers, who will see a decade high during this festive, the two-wheeler dealers also have a good season and hence helps them liquidate their stock, which they have built in anticipation of a good festive," Singhania said.

(With inputs from PTI)