Follow us
Festive Cheer, Reform Reset: Auto Sales See Sharp Rebound
A combination of tax cuts and proactive moves by the industry leads to one of the best festive season performances by the auto industry.
By Darshan Nakhwa
4907 Views
In a year when consumer sentiment had begun to soften and buyers were holding back, India’s automobile industry found an unexpected accelerator. The rollout of Goods and Services Tax 2.0 in September, timed almost perfectly with the festive season, reshaped the economics of mobility. With lower tax rates on small cars and commuter two-wheelers, and a simplified structure for larger vehicles, affordability improved just as festive optimism peaked.
The effect was immediate. Vehicle retail sales in October jumped 40.5% year-on-year, the highest monthly growth in India’s automotive history. Showrooms that had seen cautious footfalls through much of the year ...
RELATED ARTICLES
Carbon Dreams, Policy Gridlock: India’s Decarbonisation Push Faces Delays
Shahkar Abidi
06 Apr 2026
India’s automotive giants are ready to trade carbon, but the government hasn't found the 'on' switch.
River Mobility: The Power of Doing Less
Prerna Lidhoo
31 Mar 2026
Bengaluru's River Mobility is building a durable EV business on the unfashionable virtues of restraint, focus and precis...
UCAL: How a 70-Year-Old Auto Parts Group is Re-Engineering for the EV Era
Autocar Professional Bureau
27 Mar 2026
The Chennai-based auto components maker is shifting away from carburetors and mechanical fuel pumps, betting on electron...
