India’s carmakers have led the charge in what turned out to be the strongest Navratri sales season in over a decade, setting the stage for a blockbuster Diwali, The Economic Times reported.
Maruti Suzuki, the country’s top car manufacturer, recorded its best-ever Navratri sales in at least 10 years, with sales doubling compared to last year. As of Wednesday, there were 700,530 enquiries for the cars and 150,000 bookings, with expectations to touch 200,000 bookings by Thursday evening. Last year, the company sold 85,000 vehicles during Navratri.
Mahindra & Mahindra also rode the festive wave, reporting a 60% jump in retails, driven by its popular SUVs XUV700 and Scorpio N. Hyundai witnessed strong demand for the Creta and Venue, with SUVs contributing more than 72% of its total sales. Hero MotoCorp, meanwhile, reported double showroom footfalls with commuter bikes seeing robust traction.
Tata Motors joined the festive success story by retailing over 50,000 vehicles during the period, with Altroz, Punch, Nexon, and Tiago leading the charge.
Beyond automobiles, the festive cheer spread across consumer electronics and retail. LG, Haier, and Godrej Appliances posted high double-digit growth, with Haier’s sales soaring 85% and premium TV models nearly sold out. “The Navratri sales this year were driven by the direct benefit of the GST rate cut and the indirect boost it gave to customer sentiment,” said Satish NS, president of Haier India, told the English publication.
LG’s Sanjay Chitkara echoed the optimism, describing the growth as “exponential.”
Retail too saw strong gains, with Reliance Retail reporting a 20-25% jump in sales compared to last year. Footfalls at malls picked up steadily after Amazon and Flipkart’s mega online sales, bringing fresh momentum to offline stores.
The Economic Times report highlights that this year’s Navratri demand surged between 25% and 100% across categories, marking a sharp turnaround after five to six years of sluggish consumption. With the first half of the festive season already proving buoyant, companies are now gearing up for Diwali, Dhanteras, and the wedding season – all expected to add further sparkle to India’s consumption story.