Dhanteras rush: Maruti expects 30,000 deliveries, Tata Motors over 12,000; Mahindra grapples with tight SUV stocks

India's passenger vehicle market is witnessing strong festive demand, with leading automakers reporting robust deliveries around Dhanteras and Diwali, while some are struggling to keep up with customer demand amid tight inventories and capacity constraints.

Maruti Suzuki India expects to deliver around 30,000 vehicles on Dhanteras, while Hyundai Motor India is targeting approximately 16,000 deliveries across Dhanteras and Diwali, nearly 14% higher than last year. Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, meanwhile, expects single-day deliveries to cross 12,000 units on Dhanteras.

Maruti Suzuki has recorded retail sales of over 4 lakh vehicles between Ganesh Chaturthi on September 14 and November 6, compared with 3.46 lakh units during the corresponding period last year. The growth reflects sustained demand through the festive season rather than a spike concentrated around individual auspicious days.

"Both minor model changes, Brezza and Baleno are getting a very good response. Within a span of just two months, Baleno sales have crossed 50,000 mark and Brezza has crossed 70,000 numbers with both having huge pending bookings," said Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales at Maruti Suzuki India.

Hyundai, too, is seeing strong customer demand. "We expect to deliver around 16,000 units, nearly 14% higher than last year," said Tarun Garg, Managing Director and CEO of Hyundai Motor India.

Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles has recorded retail growth of over 20% since Ganesh Chaturthi compared with the same period last year. Amit Kamat, Chief Commercial Officer, said newly launched products had added momentum and strengthened traction across the portfolio. Dhanteras deliveries are expected to cross 12,000 vehicles, while Diwali muhurat deliveries will continue until Wednesday.

The demand momentum is particularly pronounced at Mahindra & Mahindra, where tight inventories point to supply constraints. Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director and CEO, Auto and Farm Sector, said Mahindra was the fastest-growing brand based on VAHAN registrations for comparable festive days over the approximately 25-day period tracked since Navratri.

“This strong momentum is also reflected in our dealership inventory, with physical SUV stocks close to zero across most of our portfolio and less than eight to nine days of stock, excluding vehicles in transit. We are operating at full capacity, with our October volumes exceeding the capacity levels we had indicated earlier,” Jejurikar said.

Mahindra has retained its outlook of mid-to-high-teen growth in SUV volumes for FY27.

The strong festive performance across manufacturers suggests that demand has remained broad-based, supported by new launches and refreshed models. However, Mahindra's inventory position also highlights the challenge of converting strong bookings into deliveries when production capacity is stretched.