India's retail auto sales rise 25% in Feb on tax-cut boost, seasonal demand

India's retail vehicle sales jumped 25.6 per cent in February, as last ​year's tax cuts and a pick-up in ​weddings drove demand for two-wheelers and passenger vehicles, the ‌auto dealers' body said on Thursday.

Analysts had expected double-digit year-on-year growth in February, supported by price cuts, new model launches and firm rural demand, after India cut taxes on vehicles last September to boost consumption in the wake of steep U.S. tariffs.

Two-wheeler sales jumped 25 per cent from a year ago in February, while passenger vehicle sales climbed 26.1 per cent, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations ‌said, adding that demand was supported by weddings with enquiries rising across rural and urban markets.

 

The dealer body's president, C.S. Vigneshwar, told Reuters that growth is likely to sustain for several quarters, if not years, noting that the industry had always expected the impact of the tax ​cuts to be "seismic" rather than seasonal.

Over two-thirds of dealers surveyed by the ‌association expect retail sales to grow in March, buoyed by festival-driven demand and fiscal year-end purchases. However, ​dealers ‌have flagged supply constraints for some models.

Vigneshwar said that there has ‌been no immediate impact on logistics for vehicles from the Middle East war.

Passenger vehicle inventory, or the average ‌time ​a car remained ​on the showroom floor, fell for a fifth consecutive month to 27-29 days from 32-34 days in ‌January.