New Delhi, Oct. 21 -- Vehicle retail registrations declined 6.5 per cent year-on-year during Navratri this year, with passenger vehicles recording the steepest fall among major categories, according to provisional data released by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA).
Total vehicle retail sales stood at 11.23 lakh units between October 11 and 20, compared with 12.01 lakh units during Navratri last year, which ran from September 22 to October 2.
The decline was largely attributed to a high base, as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate cuts came into effect on the first day of Navratri last year, triggering a surge in purchases.
Passenger vehicle registrations fell 21.9 per cent to 1.83 lakh units, while two-wheeler registrations declined 2.8 per cent to 8.34 lakh units. Three-wheeler registrations dropped 7.5 per cent to 45,735 units.
In contrast, commercial vehicle registrations rose 1.1 per cent to 35,618 units, while tractor registrations increased 0.9 per cent to 22,690 units.
FADA President Sai Giridhar said the 6.52 per cent decline was largely optical, as last year's longer festive period coincided with the GST 2.0 rollout, bringing pent-up demand into an exceptional sales window.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.