 "Strong market demand may return best-ever car sales this festive season")
Car manufacturers are prepping for what could turn out to be one of the most exciting festive seasons for them. Easing supply bottlenecks, series of new launches, and strong demand in the run-up to the festive period that starts with Onam and Raksha Bandhan in August and ends with Diwali in November.
Carmakers are gearing up to introduce more than a dozen new models which also include major updates on existing cars in the market. As these new models hit the market, industry experts estimate that deliveries may touch the mark of one million units, the highest ever, during the ongoing quarter.
In FY23, around 843,000 cars were sold during the festive season which was up from 788,000 units sold in FY22. The sales in FY21, however, had touched 935,000 mainly due to the pent-up demand after the Covid-19 pandemic, a report in The Economic Times (ET) said.
Expressing his thoughts on the sales numbers, senior executive officer of marketing and sales at Maruti Suzuki India, Shashank Srivastava told ET, "A continuous improvement in the semiconductor supplies in addition to a strong demand and new launches are likely to help the industry touch record retails."
Maruti Suzuki's latest products
Maruti Suzuki, the country's largest carmaker has registered an impressive growth in its sales supported by a series of product launches in the SUV segment. Maruti has acquired more than 50 per cent market share in the SUV segment with its update to the Brezza, the launch of the Grand Vitara, and the introduction of the Baleno-based crossover, Fronx.
Maruti has also marked its entry into the hardcore off-roading space with the launch of Jimny.
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Hyundai's recent launches
Chief operating officer at Hyundai Motor India, Tarun Garg told ET that the company is looking forward to an exciting festive season on the back of new launches, Hyundai Exter being its latest offering. "The Onam bookings are very good and make us very confident of a good season," Garg said.
Apart from the Exter, Hyundai is also going to launch a major update for its best-selling mid-size SUV, Creta.
Tata's recent launches
Tata Motors is also preparing to give a fresh touch to its product line-up. With a major update for its best-selling compact SUV Nexon in the pipeline, Tata Motors is also adding new CNG models to its line-up to expand its customer base.
To this end, Tata has already introduced CNG variants of Altroz, Tiago, Tigor, and Punch. It has been reported that Tata Motors may consider adding a CNG kit to the Tata Nexon as well.
Kia Seltos facelift
The sister firm of Hyundai Motors, Kia has introduced the updated model of its mid-size SUV Kia Seltos. The Seltos is offered with three engine options which include a naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine, a 1.5-litre diesel, and a turbo petrol engine.