Mumbai: Car sales and bicycles in the city have declined to the Auspious Dhanteras Festival, which falls on Tuesday, compared to the previous two years, the Transport Statistics show.
Experts say that one of the main reasons that prevents buyers from buying new vehicles is an increase in the price of a decent fuel.
The price of gasoline was carried out more than 51% and diesel of 60% in the past half a year and burned a hole in the driver’s bag.
Gasoline sold more than Rs 115 per liter and diesel more than RS 106 compared to gasoline at Rs 76 and Diesel at RS 66 in April last year.
Sachin Gawde, General Manager (Sales) at Velox Motors, said that by increasing gasoline and diesel rates, people are now asking about CNG cars.
He said “The lack of semiconductors has also caused delays in the availability of car models, producing slow sales of this celebration season”.
According to vehicle registration data for two weeks before Dhanteras, 2,447 cars and 6237 bikes were booked in various showrooms in Mumbai for Diwali delivery.
This is a 12% less car and 32% less two wheels than those bought during Dhanteras and Diwali last year.
The numbers that are appropriate for 2019 are 12% and once again 12%.
After the first wave of Covid, there was an invasion into the showroom to buy a new car and two-wheeled cars during the Diwali 2020.
“Comparative sales have fallen this year,” said a dealer.
The decline in sales has been started from Dussehra this year when 2,818 cars and 5,034 bicycles are registered for delivery on a day of luck.
This is 13% less for cars and 39% less for two wheels compared to Dussehra 2020.
The silver layer is that car sales in Dussehra are 3% more than the Pre-Covid Festival (2019).
“This is a despicable failure of the state and central government to give a pause to citizens who are common in the period of economic uncertainty amid the cost of living that continues to increase in Mumbai,” said Preeti Sharma Menon from AAP.
Transportation experts say that even though expensive fuel can act as a deterrent and help reduce cars and bicycles on the road, at the same time encourage the sale of electric vehicles and CNG, it is time for some corrections in the price of a decent fuel.