Auto dealers witness “extraordinary” surge in customer interest

An automobile showroom announcing the benefits of the GST reduction in Chennai.
| Photo Credit:
BIJOY GHOSH

Auto dealers have witnessed unprecedented walk-ins, a spike in enquiries, and record deliveries across most segments in the first two days of GST 2.0 and Navratri.

Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) and Tata Motors sustained their festive momentum with rising enquiries and bookings on Tuesday. For JSW MG Motor India, the first two days of Navratri saw nearly 90 per cent uptake compared to the last couple of years.

“We believe that these changes will boost demand and encourage customers to buy during this phase, and we are very bullish not only for the festive season but for the rest of the year as well,” Vinay Raina, Chief Commercial Officer at JSW MG Motor India, said.

Two-Wheeler Boom

In the two-wheeler segment, market leader Hero MotoCorp said customer enquiries have grown exponentially. There is more than a 50 per cent jump in showroom traffic compared to last year.

“Perhaps the most telling sign of the buoyant mood is the sharp increase in on-the-spot purchases. The number of new customers walking into the showrooms and purchasing a Hero two-wheeler on the very first day of Navratri has more than doubled, a clear indicator of a strong desire to bring home a new vehicle without delay,” Ashutosh Varma, Chief Business Officer at Hero MotoCorp, told businessline.

Industry bodies hailed the “extraordinary” consumer response.

“The start to this festival season has been extremely encouraging with the recent GST reduction and special festive offers have sparked an extraordinary wave of consumer interest and enthusiasm,” Shailesh Chandra, President, SIAM, said.

“We are hopeful that this celebratory momentum will continue, making this festive season one of the most memorable for the industry and consumers alike,” Chandra, who is also the Managing Director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, said.

Record deliveries

On the first day, MSIL had delivered over 30,000 vehicles and secured bookings for more than 75,000 cars, HMIL delivered more than 11,000 cars, while Tata Motors sold 10,000 units and received more than 25,000 enquiries.

“We have seen that a lot of enquiries are happening. A lot of customers are coming into our showrooms and they want to shop. We are super gung-ho about the growth. Many companies have already reported record breaking sales in the first day of Navratri,” CS Vigneshwar, President, Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) told businessline.

Published on September 23, 2025