Car Registrations Fall 22% During Navratri Despite Strong Deliveries

India’s passenger vehicle registrations fell 21.9% year-on-year to around 1.83 lakh units during the Navratri period from October 11 to 20, 2026, according to provisional data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA).

The decline came despite automakers reporting strong deliveries during the festive period. Industry representatives said the figures need to be viewed against last year’s unusually high base, when Navratri coincided with the rollout of GST 2.0 and encouraged customers to bring forward vehicle purchases.

The festive period also lasted 11 days in 2025, compared with 10 days this year. These differences make a direct year-on-year comparison less straightforward.

Vehicle availability has also emerged as a factor. Maruti Suzuki India reported that its Navratri deliveries were around 98% of last year’s level. The company said it was receiving approximately 12,000–12,500 bookings a day but could supply around 8,000–8,500 vehicles daily. Pending bookings reportedly increased to 2.7 lakh after Dussehra.

Data from JATO Dynamics showed mixed performance among major manufacturers. Maruti Suzuki registered 74,387 vehicles, marginally higher than a year earlier. Tata Motors’ registrations fell 16.4% to 24,843 units, while Hyundai declined 2.7% to 19,706 units and Kia fell 9.3% to 9,731 units. Mahindra & Mahindra recorded a 6.6% increase to 20,681 units.

Automakers have continued to report encouraging customer responses. Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles said it delivered more than 50,000 vehicles during Navratri, including over 10,000 on Dussehra. Hyundai Motor India also reported growth in registrations during the period covering Shradh and Navratri.

Dealers cautioned that registration figures may not immediately reflect actual deliveries because of processing delays in the vehicle-registration system. The coming Dhanteras and Diwali period is expected to provide a clearer picture of festive demand.

The latest figures underline the difference between vehicle deliveries, bookings and completed registrations. Supply availability, the previous year’s GST-related demand spike and registration timing will remain important factors when assessing India’s festive automobile market.