Auto Festive Sales 2026: Dhanteras Spurs Deliveries, October Retail Down 24%
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Maruti Suzuki reported over four lakh festive car sales as FADA recorded 31.72 lakh October vehicle registrations in India
Maruti Suzuki reported more than four lakh car sales between Ganesh Chaturthi and Dhanteras in 2026 against 3.46 lakh units in the comparable festive period last year. However, the auto industry recorded a 23.80 per cent annual decline in October retail registrations. The contrasting figures are partly explained by the festival calendar. Diwali fell in October last year but moved to November 8 in 2026 and Dhanteras was also celebrated on November 6.
The festive delivery period is mainly important for PV dealerships as manufacturers had dispatched substantial inventory ahead of the celebrations. The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) reported passenger vehicle stocks equivalent to 43 to 45 days of sales at the end of October. The figure was unchanged from September and exceeded the association’s recommended level of 21 days. Retail purchases in November will determine how much of that inventory dealers can sell before December.
The auto industry registered 31,72,466 vehicles last month. The total was 25.05 per cent above September despite the annual decline as two wheeler registrations stood at 23,21,419 units and passenger vehicles recorded 5,07,768 units. However, both categories reported lower sales than in October 2025. In contrast, commercial vehicles, three wheelers and tractors recorded annual increases and achieved their highest October registrations.
Electric vehicles recorded a considerably different performance from the overall industry. Nearly 3.55 lakh electric vehicles were registered in October 2026 and the annual increase stood at 44.88 per cent. Its penetration rose to around 11.5 per cent compared to nearly 6 per cent a year earlier. Zero-emission models also constituted close to 63 per cent of three wheeler registrations. In PVs, the combined share of CNG, hybrid and electric models stood at 41.83 per cent against 41.60 per cent for petrol and ethanol vehicles.
The Dhanteras celebrations also prompted substantial delivery plans from carmakers. Maruti Suzuki targeted close to 30,000 car handovers on November 6 and Hyundai expected around 16,000 deliveries with over 12,000 from Tata Motors. The estimates indicated substantial festive sales activity but were separate from the final registration figures compiled by FADA. It is worth noting that Maruti Suzuki had delivered around 50,000 vehicles over the two days of Dhanteras in 2025.
The two wheeler market faced a more difficult annual comparison. Rural registrations declined by 33.97 per cent against a 20.77 per cent reduction in towns and cities as the later festival dates affected October purchases. But FADA also identified weak agricultural conditions in certain regions and higher vehicle financing costs as big concerns. The association reported that around 31 per cent of dealers faced a moderate or substantial effect from increased financing expenses and loan repayments.
FADA also projects that annual automobile registrations could approach 3.2 crore units in 2026 against 2.82 crore in 2025 as PV retail could surpass 50 lakh units for the first time. The complete registration figures this month will establish the final impact of the Dhanteras and Diwali purchases on the festive sales performance.
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