Maruti to Deliver 30,000 Vehicles on Dhanteras After Strong Navratri Sales

Maruti Suzuki India expects to deliver approximately 30,000 vehicles on Dhanteras, extending the strong festive sales momentum that saw retail deliveries grow 36 percent year-on-year through Dussehra. The country's largest passenger vehicle maker also reported its highest-ever monthly wholesale volumes of 2.76 lakh units in October.

1. Maruti witnessed 35 percent YoY growth in Navratri.
2. Utility vehicles rose highest at 26 percent YoY.
3. Nearly half of bookings came for CNG-powered models.

"We will be delivering approximately 30,000 vehicles today," Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India, said in an interview.

Maruti Suzuki's strong festive sales momentum

During the company's October sales briefing, Banerjee had said retail deliveries had grown 35 percent year-on-year during Navratri, with growth increasing to 36 percent by the end of Dussehra. The company delivered approximately 2.44 lakh vehicles in October, while dealer inventory stood at just 12 days at the end of the month, reflecting strong retail demand.

Maruti Suzuki reported total wholesale volumes of 2,76,120 vehicles in October 2026, an increase of 25 percent from 2,20,894 units in the corresponding month last year. Its domestic passenger vehicle sales increased 20.5 percent on year to 2,12,384 units. Domestic sales, including light commercial vehicles but excluding supplies to other automakers, reached a record 2,16,789 units, up 20 percent. Exports increased 59 percent to 49,872 units, while supplies to other original equipment manufacturers stood at 9,459 units.

Growth was broad-based across Maruti Suzuki's passenger vehicle portfolio. Utility vehicle sales rose 26 percent year-on-year to 97,787 units, supported by its portfolio of SUVs and MPVs, including the Brezza, Fronx, Grand Vitara, Victoris and Ertiga. Sales of mini, compact and mid-size passenger cars increased 18.4 percent to 1,00,877 units. The category, which includes models such as the Alto, WagonR, Swift, Dzire and Baleno, remained Maruti's largest domestic passenger vehicle grouping by volume.

Banerjee said demand for small cars continued to remain strong. According to him, Maruti's A-segment volumes grew approximately 31 percent during April-October, while October growth remained around 18-19 percent despite the high base on account of GST rationalisation. He said the company remained committed to the small-car market, a segment that has traditionally been central to Maruti Suzuki's business.

During April-October FY27, Maruti Suzuki's total volumes increased 27 percent to 16,55,498 units from 12,99,629 units in the corresponding period last year. Domestic passenger vehicle sales rose 33 percent to 12,92,624 units. Utility vehicle volumes grew 40 percent to 5,53,479 units, while mini, compact and mid-size passenger car sales increased 31 percent to 6,51,971 units. Exports during the seven-month period rose 18 percent to 2,82,727 units, according to the company's sales data.

Looking ahead, Maruti Suzuki expects to sustain double-digit growth in the second half of the financial year, even as the comparison base becomes more challenging because of the demand recovery following the GST rate rationalisation last year. "Our endeavor is just that in the H2, on a very high base also, we are aiming to grow by 10 percent," Banerjee said.

Following its second-quarter results, Maruti Suzuki's management had also indicated that planned capacity expansion from January would support its ambition of achieving double-digit volume growth during the October-March period.

The company has been increasing production to meet demand. Average daily production rose from approximately 9,100 vehicles in the first quarter to 9,600 in the second quarter and 10,100 in October, according to Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer, Corporate Affairs, Maruti Suzuki India. However, the low dealer inventory and large order backlog indicate that demand continues to outpace available supply.

Meanwhile, the automaker continues to carry a substantial order backlog. Banerjee said Maruti Suzuki had approximately 2.5 lakh pending vehicle bookings, including nearly 1.2 lakh CNG vehicles, which account for around 47 percent of the total. "We have close to 2.5 lakh pending bookings as of this morning," he said.

Banerjee said CNG vehicle sales had grown approximately 38 percent since April, but component supply constraints were limiting the company's ability to meet demand. Maruti Suzuki expects supply availability to improve from January 2027, although the ramp-up will take place gradually.

"Now, my problem is this, that CNG, there is a supply constraint. But our supply chain team has assured us that from January we will have a better supply," he said. With nearly half of its pending bookings coming from CNG vehicles, improving component availability will be important for Maruti Suzuki as it seeks to maintain double-digit growth during the remainder of FY27.

With inputs from Darshan Nakhwa