Automakers in India, right from mass car maker like Maruti Suzuki to premium brands like Audi – all are offering hefty discounts on cars till the end of this month. December discounts are at an all time high, by 20-25% more as compared to last year.
This is because of dismal sales last month, during the festive season. Car makers produced cars more than required, and with 2018 coming to an end, dealers are sitting with more than required stock of 2018 year.
To lure customers, automakers are offering discount schemes, exchange offers and corporate benefits so as to clear piling stocks. This in addition to the fact that from 1st Jan all car prices are going to be increased by up to 5% in India.
As per data revealed by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association, the recently concluded festive season saw sales of passenger vehicles dip by 14% leaving automakers with inventory ranging from 6-10 weeks as compared to a normal 4-6 weeks of stock. Despite these hefty discounts, buyers will be shying away from making year end purchases as this affects resale value.
Maruti Suzuki India Limited, leading automakers in the country, are offering discounts on the Alto 800, Celerio and WagonR ranging from Rs.60,000-80,000 whcih include discounts, exchange bonus and corporate benefits. They are also offering up to Rs.90,000 on the new Ciaz while there are special discounts on Maruti Suzuki Swift, DZire and Ertiga. Even the Brezza is being offered at Rs 50k discount.
Hyundai is also offering discounts ranging from Rs.65,000-90,000 on its range of cars such as the Eon, Grand i10, Elite i20 and Xcent. Tata Motors is offering discounts from Rs.39,000-93,000 on the Tiago, Tigor, Nexon and Hexa. Mahindra Bolero and Scorpio are also offered at discounts and benefits from Rs.40,000 and Rs.84,000 respectively.
The Jeep Compass can be upgraded to a higher variant free of cost. You buy a mid trim, dealer will upgrade to top trim for free. Dealers are also offering Rs.5 lakh discount on the Wrangler diesel while the petrol version is also offering with a 5 lakh discount for 2018 model year and at Rs.8.50 lakh discount on 2017 model year.
Honda Cars are giving buyers who purchase the WR-V or City sedan insurance at Rs 1 and exchange bonus of Rs.20,000. Discounts on the Toyota Etios Liva is at Rs.23,000 going up to Rs.1.1 lakh on the Corolla Altis, and Rs 1.25 lakh on the Innova Crysta and Fortuner.
Luxury automakers such as Jaguar Land Rover and Audi are also offering discounts on some of their popular cars. The Audi Q3, A3, A4 extends from Rs.5.5 to 7.4 lakhs while the LR Discovery Sport 2 SE and Range Rover Evoque can be had at special pricing.
BMW and Mercedes Benz are also offering discount and exchange schemes even as they have announced big plans for the coming year with new generation cars. Volvo is the only automaker that has not announced any such discount schemes