Automobile sales zoom on Dhanteras, Maruti expects to cross 50K deliveries

Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India on Saturday said it expects to have record sales on Dhanteras clocking over 50,000 units, while rival Hyundai Motor India also posted over 20 per cent growth over last year at about 14,000 units.

This year, Dhanteras is spread over two days as it was in the last year between Saturday and Sunday. Although many customers hesitate to buy the metal on Saturday, Maruti Suzuki India is expecting to reach around 41,000 deliveries today, company Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Partho Banerjee told mediapersons.

He said, “We are expecting to cross even the 50,000 mark.”

The company’s previous highest Dhanteras sales was last year when it clocked around 41,500 units, he added.

Demand for silver outpaces gold

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Despite high prices, consumer demand for silver outpaced gold on Dhanteras, with silver coin sales surging 35-40 per cent year-on-year and overall value more than doubling, even as the jewellery body expects a 15 per cent volume drop for gold. While gold prices surged 63 per cent to Rs 1,32,000 per 10 grams of 24-carat (inclusive of taxes) in the national capital — up from Rs 81,400 last Dhanteras on October 29, 2024 — silver prices gone up by 40 per cent, yet demand held firm.

Expressing similar views, Hyundai Motor India Ltd MD & CEO Designate Tarun Garg said, “We are witnessing strong customer demand, with deliveries expected to be around 14,000 units approximately, 20 per cent higher than last year. The positive momentum is driven by the festive spirit, a buoyant market environment and the encouraging impact of GST 2.0 reforms.”

On the consumer electronics side, Panasonic Life Solutions Director and Head- Sales consumer division, Sandeep Sehgal said, “This Dhanteras, we are witnessing a strong customer turnout since morning, with robust demand across product categories.” He said, “Large screen TVs, particularly those of 55 inches and above, are leading the momentum, contributing to a 4K sellout growth of over 36 per cent from October 1 to 17.”