 "Pitra Paksha puts brakes on auto sales in Uttar Pradesh")
Automobile dealers in North India, especially Uttar Pradesh, have braced themselves for a period of slump in sales after the Pitra Paksha, a fortnightly period preceeding Navratri, began on Tuesday.
During these 15 days, devout Hindus pay obeisance to their ancestors through special prayers. The period is considered inauspicious for any purchases of vehicles, especially four-wheelers.
Most automobile dealers report a dip in sales by almost 40 per cent during Pitra Paksha.
“People normally book new cars by paying a nominal amount but take delivery during Navratri, after Pitra Paksha,” said Pradeep Agarwal, the managing director of a Tata Motors’ dealership. He said the slump during this period is followed by a boom during Navratri, considered auspicious for fresh purchases, especially in North India.
“This is an annual cycle and it does not dent the aggregate sales graph. People only defer their purchase decision for a while. Besides, customers belonging to other communities and those with modern beliefs shop normally.”
The Uttar Pradesh car market is pegged at almost 140,000 units a year. The Lucknow market alone is estimated at 24,000 units a year.
Even companies are known to defer new launches during this period, although the festival season is on the threshold, starting from Navratri to Dussehra and Diwali, and extending to Christmas and the New Year.
“There are quite a few people who postpone their automobile purchases during this period, since it has a strong personal safety aspect,” Mercedes-Benz dealership SRM Smart Hoops managing director Neeraj Agarwal said.
The two-wheeler segment witnesses a 10-15 per cent fall in sales during Pitra Paksha.
“However, the phenomenon is slowly waning. Now, the dip in sales is down to 10-15 per cent from 40-45 per cent earlier in two-wheelers, since majority of our customers are youngsters,” TVS Motor general manager U B Pandey said. The UP two-wheeler market is estimated at 1,90,000 units a month.
During these 15 days, devout Hindus pay obeisance to their ancestors through special prayers. The period is considered inauspicious for any purchases of vehicles, especially four-wheelers.
Most automobile dealers report a dip in sales by almost 40 per cent during Pitra Paksha.
“People normally book new cars by paying a nominal amount but take delivery during Navratri, after Pitra Paksha,” said Pradeep Agarwal, the managing director of a Tata Motors’ dealership. He said the slump during this period is followed by a boom during Navratri, considered auspicious for fresh purchases, especially in North India.
“This is an annual cycle and it does not dent the aggregate sales graph. People only defer their purchase decision for a while. Besides, customers belonging to other communities and those with modern beliefs shop normally.”
The Uttar Pradesh car market is pegged at almost 140,000 units a year. The Lucknow market alone is estimated at 24,000 units a year.
Even companies are known to defer new launches during this period, although the festival season is on the threshold, starting from Navratri to Dussehra and Diwali, and extending to Christmas and the New Year.
“There are quite a few people who postpone their automobile purchases during this period, since it has a strong personal safety aspect,” Mercedes-Benz dealership SRM Smart Hoops managing director Neeraj Agarwal said.
The two-wheeler segment witnesses a 10-15 per cent fall in sales during Pitra Paksha.
“However, the phenomenon is slowly waning. Now, the dip in sales is down to 10-15 per cent from 40-45 per cent earlier in two-wheelers, since majority of our customers are youngsters,” TVS Motor general manager U B Pandey said. The UP two-wheeler market is estimated at 1,90,000 units a month.
Meanwhile, the old car market is generally unaffected by this brief lull experienced by its new peers, local old car dealer Rama Car Sales managing director Sanjeev Sahni claimed. The old car market in UP, largely unorganised, is pegged at around 4,000 vehicles per month, he informed.
A senior executive with a leading passenger automotive said the company was bullish on clocking double digit growth during this year's pitru paksh vis-à-vis last year. The company had recently launched a new car model. "This phenomenon is slowly wearing off and for good," he said on condition of anonymity.