Automakers Report Unprecedented Sales Surge
India's leading automotive manufacturers, including Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, and Tata Motors, experienced a day of historic sales on September 22, driven by the powerful combined effect of a revised GST structure and the commencement of the auspicious Navaratri festival. The convergence of lower vehicle prices and strong consumer sentiment resulted in record-breaking delivery and enquiry numbers, signaling a robust start to the festive season.
Dual Catalysts Drive Market Boom
The exceptional market performance was fueled by two significant factors. Firstly, the rollout of a new Goods and Services Tax (GST) framework led to substantial price reductions across all vehicle segments. Under the revised structure, the total tax incidence on smaller, sub-4-meter cars dropped from a range of 29-31% to a flat 18% slab. Larger and luxury vehicles also saw significant relief, with the maximum tax rate falling from 50% to 40%.
Secondly, this advantageous tax revision coincided with the first day of Navaratri, a nine-day festival widely considered an auspicious time for making high-value purchases. To capitalize on this, automakers amplified the price cuts with additional festive offers, creating a compelling value proposition for consumers and triggering a massive surge in demand.
Maruti Suzuki's Record-Setting Day
Maruti Suzuki India reported its strongest single-day performance in over three decades. The company delivered nearly 30,000 cars and fielded approximately 80,000 enquiries on September 22 alone. According to Partho Banerjee, the company's Senior Executive Officer for Marketing and Sales, the customer response was phenomenal. Bookings have been 50% higher than in the non-festive season since the company announced it would pass on the full GST benefits. Demand for small cars was particularly strong, with models like the S-Presso and Alto K10 seeing price drops of up to ₹1.30 lakh and ₹1.08 lakh, respectively.
Hyundai and Tata Motors Post Personal Bests
Hyundai Motor India also achieved a significant milestone, recording around 11,000 dealer billings, its best single-day performance in the last five years. The company's COO, Tarun Garg, attributed the success to strong festive sentiment and the positive market momentum from the GST reforms. Hyundai passed on the full tax benefits to customers, with price reductions ranging from around ₹60,640 to as high as ₹2.40 lakh on its flagship Tucson SUV.
Tata Motors was not far behind, delivering nearly 10,000 vehicles and registering over 25,000 enquiries, marking a personal best for the company. Amit Kamat, Chief Commercial Officer for Tata's passenger vehicles division, noted an enthusiastic customer response and a sharp increase in showroom walk-ins. The company is offering total benefits of up to ₹2 lakh on popular models like the Nexon SUV. All three companies expressed optimism that this strong demand will continue throughout the festive season.
