Mumbai, Jan. 6 -- According to the data released by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), India's auto retails delivered a confident close, with total retails at 2,81,61,228 units, registering a 7.71% Y-o-Y growth.

The year, however, was a tale of two halves-Jan to Aug remained subdued despite supportive macro cues such as direct tax relief in the Union Budget and RBI's cumulative rate easing through 2025 .

The turning point came from September onwards, when the landmark GST 2.0 rate rationalization-including meaningful reductions for mass segments like small cars, two-wheelers (up to 350cc), three-wheelers and key commercial categories-improved affordability and lifted sentiment, leading to a clear upshift through S...