India’s showrooms did not go quiet this festive season, no matter what the first sales headline suggested. Within a day of the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) reporting a 22% year-on-year drop in passenger vehicle registrations during Navratri, the country’s top three carmakers put out numbers of their own, and they told a very different story. Maruti Suzuki is sitting on 2.7 lakh pending bookings. Tata Motors delivered more than 50,000 vehicles during Navratri alone. With Dhanteras and Diwali now weeks away, the industry is betting that the best of the festive season is still to come.
The Navratri dip that was not really a dip
FADA’s data showed passenger vehicle registrations falling to around 1.83 lakh units during the ten-day Navratri period, compared with roughly 2.34 lakh a year earlier. Total vehicle retail sales across segments declined 6.52%. On the surface, that looks like a festive slowdown. But the dealers’ lobby itself cautioned against reading too much into it. Last year, Navratri ran for 11 days instead of 10, and it coincided with the rollout of GST 2.0, which pulled a wave of pent-up demand into a single extraordinary window. Strip out that base effect, and the picture changes completely.
Maruti’s order book is bulging
Maruti Suzuki, which holds the largest slice of the Indian passenger vehicle market, reported retail sales growth of 35% between Ganesh Chaturthi and Dussehra. Small cars, long written off by analysts, grew around 16-17%. SUV volumes doubled on the back of stronger supplies of the Victoris and the Brezza. The company’s Navratri retail itself was almost level with last year.
The booking pipeline is where the real story is. “We are making every effort to maximise deliveries and serve our customers,” said Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer at Maruti Suzuki. “We expect double-digit growth for the whole festive period till Diwali.” The company says rural markets are doing particularly well, which gives it confidence beyond the metro centres.
Hyundai and Tata keep the momentum going
Hyundai Motor India recorded a 30% year-on-year increase in registrations during the Shradh and Navratri period, reaching nearly 41,000 units. The festive push was supported by strong sales during Onam and Ganesh Chaturthi earlier in the season. Tarun Garg, MD and CEO of Hyundai Motor India, said demand remains healthy across both urban and rural markets, and he expects the momentum to continue through Dhanteras and Diwali.
Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles had the most striking delivery numbers. The company delivered more than 50,000 vehicles during Navratri, including over 10,000 on Dussehra alone, and has stepped up production and logistics to keep high-demand models and variants available. “The response during Navratri has been particularly encouraging,” said Amit Kamat, Chief Commercial Officer of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles. Its electric vehicle sales also grew about 26% during the period, a bright spot for the green mobility push.
Why Diwali could still be the biggest act
For carmakers, the Navratri-to-Diwali stretch traditionally brings in close to a third of the year’s business. This year, the industry is leaning into it harder than usual. New launches are rolling out through October, dealerships are running festive discount and financing schemes, and companies are building inventory well in advance so they do not miss the rush. Mahindra & Mahindra has said it built up stock ahead of time to make sure customers are spoilt for choice.
The next milestone is Dhanteras, when buying a vehicle is considered especially auspicious, followed by Diwali in the first week of November. Carmakers are now focused on converting their healthy order books into deliveries over these two days. If the booking pipelines at Maruti, Hyundai and Tata are any indication, the Diwali delivery numbers could make the Navratri dip a footnote.
For buyers, the message is simple: showrooms will be busy, popular variants may have waiting lists, and festive offers are unlikely to last beyond the Diwali weekend. If a new car is on this year’s festive shopping list, the window to book is now.
FAQs
Did car sales fall this Navratri?
Passenger vehicle registrations fell about 22% year-on-year during the ten-day Navratri period, according to FADA. But dealers say the comparison is skewed, since last year’s Navratri was longer and coincided with the GST 2.0 rollout, which pulled demand forward.
How many bookings does Maruti Suzuki have right now?
Maruti Suzuki’s pending bookings rose from about 2 lakh at the start of October to 2.7 lakh after Dussehra. The company expects double-digit retail growth for the full festive period through Diwali.
Which carmaker delivered the most vehicles this Navratri?
Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles delivered more than 50,000 vehicles during Navratri, including over 10,000 on Dussehra alone, the highest delivery numbers reported by any carmaker for the period.
Are EVs selling this festive season?
Yes. Tata Motors reported EV sales growth of about 26% during the festive period, suggesting green mobility demand is holding up alongside petrol, CNG and hybrid models.
When is the best time to buy a car this festive season?
Dhanteras, considered an auspicious day for vehicle purchases, is the traditional peak, with Diwali following in the first week of November. Most festive offers and financing schemes run through the Diwali weekend.
That is the festive scoreboard as it stands. With Diwali a couple of weeks away, the real test of the season will be in the delivery numbers of early November.
