Amdavadis seem to be getting more aspirational! A market that is traditionally known as one of the biggest two-wheeler markets in the country, has seen used car sales beat sales of used bikes.
"There us huge demand for used cars in Ahmedabad now, we are seeing around 15-20 per cent growth in sales compared to a year ago period," said Suresh Waghnani of Jolly Motors, a leading used car dealer in Navrangpura. He adds that demand for premium used cars has also shot up considerably in 2010-11.
"Most people go for a three-year financing, and at the end of that period look at replacing their old vehicles with new ones. This is bringing in a lot of three-four year old cars in the market now for sale, and a majority of these are premium cars like the Volkswagen Jetta, Chevrolet Cruze, BMW 3 series and 5 series, Honda City and Civic, Hyundai Sonata among others.", he explains.
In comparison, used scooter and bike sales have grown by 10-12 per cent on an average during the fiscal. Kishorbhai of Navramgpura says, "We still receive healthy demand for popular models like the Hero Honda Splendor, and the Honda Activa scooter. But, yes there is a huge surge in demand for used cars in the market now, and also for new cars. New car buying has gone up significantly", admitting that growth in car sales is higher compared to two-wheeler sales this year.
Jainee P Gordhandas, promoter of BigGaddi.com, confirmed the trend saying, "Ahmedabadis are buying cars more than ever now. The boost in the used car market is an extension of the sales boom in the new car market."
According to data from financiers, more than 36,000 new cars were registered in Ahmedabad till mid-February, which is up by around 15 per cent compared to the same period last year. In comparison, nearly 1.08 lakh two-wheelers were sold during the year in the city compared to 96,000 units in 2009-10, up by around 12 per cent. The used car market, on the other hand, has clocked a similar growth pattern of around 15 per cent, while the two-wheelers segment has seen a 10 per cent growth.
Gordhandas said that on an average car sales in Ahmedabad grow by 8-9 per cent per year, however, this year has been really good in terms of sales growth. The premium hatch segment has clocked more than 100 per cent growth during the year thanks to new launches. Ford India has clocked a growth of 300 per cent in Gujarat market on the back of the new Ford Figo, beating its national average of 184 per cent growth rate.
