Showrooms stock up for the festive season: Maruti dispatches up 24%, Hero up 12% in September
Indian automakers shipped sharply higher volumes in September as dealers stocked up ahead of the festive season — Maruti Suzuki's wholesale dispatches rose 24.4% to 2.36 lakh units while Hero MotoCorp's grew 11.5% to 7.66 lakh. The numbers are dispatches, not sales — but they signal an industry betting big on October.
New Delhi: Indian automakers reported sharply higher wholesale dispatches in September as dealers stocked up ahead of the festive season, with Maruti Suzuki leading the pack.
Maruti Suzuki dispatched 2,36,013 units in September, a 24.44 per cent year-on-year rise. Domestic passenger-vehicle dispatches jumped 36.9 per cent to 1,81,838 units, driven by a 62 per cent surge in its utility-vehicle portfolio to 78,911 units. Exports rose a more modest 4.8 per cent to 44,219 units. The company attributed the volume to inventory build-up across its dealer network ahead of the peak festive retail period, supported by strong demand across SUVs and entry-level cars.
In two-wheelers, Hero MotoCorp shipped 7,66,348 units, up 11.5 per cent year-on-year. Domestic shipments rose 14.1 per cent to 7,39,018 units; scooter volumes crossed one lakh units, up 64.5 per cent. Its electric vertical, Vida, dispatched 28,798 units, delivering an 83 per cent year-on-year jump in Vahan retail registrations. Exports, however, fell 31 per cent to 27,330 units.
The momentum was industry-wide. Hyundai Motor India posted its highest-ever monthly sales of 77,916 units, up 10.8 per cent; sister company Kia sold a record 32,017 units, 41 per cent more than a year earlier. Tata Motors' passenger vehicles crossed 70,000 units for the first time, up 15 per cent, with EV sales jumping 67 per cent to 15,384. Mahindra's total sales rose 15 per cent to 1,14,874, and TVS Motor's sales climbed 24 per cent to 6,72,790.
One important caveat: these are wholesale figures — vehicles shipped from factories to dealers, not cars that found a customer. Maruti said as much itself. Navratri begins on October 11, and the festive retail numbers of October and November will reveal whether the industry's bet on the season pays off. For dealers, having the right models and variants in stock will matter — if festive sales fall short, they could be left holding excess stock and placing fewer orders.
For now, though, the message from the factory gates is unambiguous: India Inc. expects the biggest festive season in years.
Sources
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