What's driving India's record Dhanteras car sales
Price cuts under GST 2.0 and positive consumer sentiment helped carmakers post record Dhanteras deliveries
Last Updated: Oct 21, 2025, 09:48 IST1 min
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India’s top carmakers recorded their best-ever Dhanteras sales, underscoring a strong rebound in consumer demand. Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, and Tata Motors all posted double-digit growth over last year’s festive period, as buyers flocked to showrooms late into the night, spurred by GST 2.0 price cuts and improving sentiment.
For India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki, this was its best Dhanteras ever. The company expected to deliver around 51,000 vehicles over the two-day period (from 12:18 pm Saturday to 1:51 pm Sunday), nearly 10,000 higher than last year’s record of 41,500 units, said Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki.
Banerjee credited “the GST 2.0 magic” for the surge, adding that bookings have been coming in at a brisk pace of 14,000 per day. Since the GST cut, Maruti has received 4.5 lakh bookings, including one lakh for small cars. Retail sales during the festive season have already crossed 3.25 lakh units, up 50 percent year-on-year. The company’s plants even operated through the weekend to meet increasing demand.
At Hyundai Motor India, the festive momentum that began with Navratri carried through Dhanteras. “Demand accelerated sharply from Navratri and continued through Dhanteras, supported by GST 2.0 reforms, tax and repo rate relief, and buoyant consumer sentiment,” said Tarun Garg, Whole-time Director and COO, HMIL.
Hyundai delivered around 14,000 cars during Dhanteras, 20 percent up from last year. Dealer billings on the first day of Navratri — over 11,000 units — were the highest in five years. Enquiries also increased 10 percent, bookings 17 percent and retail sales 30 percent year-on-year. Garg said the company expects this buoyancy to continue through the upcoming marriage season and into December, traditionally a strong month for car sales.
Tata Motors also reported “robust demand,” expecting to deliver over 25,000 vehicles between Dhanteras and Diwali, Amit Kamat, Chief Commercial Officer, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, told ANI. Dhanteras sales grew around 30 percent from last year, aided by GST 2.0-driven optimism.
The broader sentiment reflected this surge. Saharsh Damani, CEO of the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), told Forbes India that retail sales during Dhanteras have grown 20–25 percent year-on-year, signalling strong consumer appetite.
First Published: Oct 21, 2025, 09:41
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