Auto sales up 57% during Navratri as all categories put up strong show

Overall sales were also 27% higher than Navratri 2020 and 16% above the pre-pandemic season in 2019; trend seen continuing till Diwali

In a major boost to the automobile sector and in a sign of recovery, retail vehicle sales this Navratri were up 57 per cent to 539,227 units, from 342,459 units during the Covid-hit 2021-22, said a statement by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) on Monday.

Overall sales were 27 per cent higher than Navratri 2020 and 16 per cent above the pre-pandemic 2019 season. All categories put up a strong show, with two-wheelers, three-wheelers, commercial vehicles, passenger vehicles and tractors increasing by 52 per cent, 115 per cent, 48 per cent, 70 per cent and 58 per cent respectively during the Navratri period between September 26 and October 5.  

“Navratri retails clearly shows that customers were back in showrooms with all guns blazing after a gap of three years. In fact, the two-wheeler category, which was continuously showing weakness when compared to pre-Covid months, also registered single-digit growth,” said Manish Raj Singhania, president, FADA.

In the two-wheeler space, the sales numbers increased from 242,213 in Navratri 2021 to 369,020 units in Navratri 2022. The current year’s numbers are 20 per cent higher than 2020 and four per cent higher than 2019. “When compared to Navratri 2019 (the pre-Covid season), all categories showed positive momentum with two-wheelers, three wheelers, commercial vehicles, passenger vehicles and tractors growing by four per cent, 31 per cent, 37 per cent, 59 per cent and 90 per cent respectively,” Singhania said.  

Three-wheeler sales doubled during the 2022 Navratri season to 19,809 units, from 9,203 in 2021. Compared to 2020, this year saw a two-fold rise in three-wheeler sales. The increase over Navratri 2019 was 31 per cent.

Singhania indicated that the positive trend is likely to continue till Deepawali. Passenger vehicle sales were up from 64,850 units last year to 110,521 this year during the festive season. Commercial vehicles sales rose from 15,135 last year to 22,437 this year. Tractor sales were up too (17,440 units in Navratri 2022 from 11,062 units in 2021).

“We now hope that this trend continues till Deepawali, so that apart from PV Dealers who will see a decade high during this festive season, 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,” he added.

Festive cheers for the industry comes after September saw an 11 per cent rise in retail vehicle sales compared to the same time last year, according to figures released by FADA last week. However, during the month, industry failed to surpass the pre-Covid levels as the sales number was 4 per cent less than that in September 2019, indicating that rural demand is yet to pick up.