West Asia conflict fails to dent car sales in Amritsar despite fuel supply concerns

The war in West Asia and concerns over disruptions in the supply of petrol and diesel have not impacted four-wheeler sales in the local market this month. In fact, vehicle sales have registered an increase even as gold jewellery and construction witnessed a sharp decline.

Car dealers of all brands sold 780 units till May 18 this year, in comparison to 1,079 units sold in May 2025. Of the vehicles sold this month, 326 were electronic vehicles (EVs) and 84 were CNG models. Last year, EVs accounted for 350 units, while 87 CNG vehicles were sold.

Hemant Singh, vice-president of a leading car dealership, said, “The data shows there is neither the impact of the war between the US and Israel nor the Centre’s call for taking austere measures on the local market”.

“Going by the current trend, total four-wheeler sales this month are likely to touch 1,200 to 1,300 units, which would mean a rise of above 12 per cent in comparison to the corresponding period last year,” he said.

Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called upon citizens for collective participation to help the country face global economic disruptions, supply chain challenges and rising prices caused by the war in West Asia, the impact became visible on the sale of gold ornaments and pace of construction.

People involved in the construction sector either paused work or slowed it down, anticipating a rollback in prices once the situation normalises.

Market watchers observe that four­-wheelers are viewed both as a necessity and a luxury item, depending on the financial priorities of individual families.

Shruti Mehra, a mother of two school-going kids, said her family had been planning to buy a new car. However, the government’s appeal made them to briefly reassess the situation. After evaluating the market, they feel that the overall sentiment is improving and are now ready to go ahead with the purchase.

Satwant Kaur, HR manager at a leading car dealership, said there had been a negligible fall in customer footfall for a few days and its real impact, if any, would be visible in the next week.