Car dealers witness surge in bookings ahead of Dhanteras

Dhanteras—the auspicious day to buy vehicles, gold, silver, utensils and pottery products— falls on October 18 this year. Car dealers of leading brands such as Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra, Tata and Kia are witnessing a massive surge in bookings ahead of the festival, with hundreds of vehicles scheduled for delivery on the day itself. Maruti alone has to deliver 1,000 vehicles on Dhanteras.

Talking to The Tribune, Harkirat Singh from Gulzar Motors said there was an increase in the number of queries and bookings for vehicles during this time by a staggering 75-80 per cent more. “There is also a shortage of some models, but we expect to delivery close to 1,000 vehicles in Ludhiana this season,” said Harkirat.

Sunil Sharma, Senior General Manager at Dada Motors on GT Road, said they had to deliver over 160 Mahindra vehicles on Dhanteras.

“Bookings are still pouring in. We expect the figure to touch 200 by October 18. Dhanteras is considered highly auspicious for new purchases and these are extremely busy days for dealers as customers are particular about taking deliveries on this day,” said Sharma.

A senior manager at Tata dealers, Vikram Bhuchar said they plan to hand over around 90 vehicles on Dhanteras. “We suggest customers to accept deliveries a day before or after Dhanteras, as these days are also considered auspicious, but they refuse. Everyone wants a delivery on Dhanteras as they head straight to religious places with their new vehicles,” the manager added.

Similarly, a Kia dealer stated they had around 100 deliveries lined up for the day. Dealers believe Dhanteras and Diwali will mark the peak of festive sales this year, with the upbeat sentiment driven further by the recent GST reductions.