Calcutta: Durga Puja-Diwali has traditionally always been a great time for car sales. Not only because people get carried away in a festive mood and make large purchases that are otherwise postponed for practical reasons, the discounts offered by various companies also play an important role in the decision to buy a dream car.
However, this year is different. As the auto industry grapples with a microchip shortage that has forced most companies to cut production, demand has outpaced supply in the market. So much so that some vehicles have a wait of up to a year and companies cannot produce them until chips are available. As a result, discounts that would normally have been given on almost the entire range of cars are limited to selected products this year.
“The entire industry is struggling with a shortage of microchips. Without this restriction, the industry would have recovered from the Covid setback. August was a particularly bad month, with Maruti Suzuki taking a big hit due to insufficient chips, ”said Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director (Marketing & Sales) of Maruti Suzuki.
Automobile companies typically have deals during the Christmas season to stimulate demand and increase sales. But with the situation reversed this year: a long wait for multiple cars and companies that cannot bring them to market in sufficient numbers to meet customer demand, most companies do not want to create additional suction until they are confident to meet them.
Even so, there are great cars with offers, either because the models have been around for a while and don’t create the kind of excitement that new models make; or they are abolished to make way for a new generation of the model; or the company has decided to leave the manufacturing business in the country.
The biggest discounts are at Kia Carnival and Mahindra XUV500. While the former is a large-format, premium multi-purpose vehicle that doesn’t have the kind of demand that SUVs and hatchbacks have, the latter will be phased out and replaced with the recently launched XUV700.
At Carnival, Kia Motors offers a discount of Rs 2 lakh. While this doesn’t completely translate into a discount, the number is achieved by adding various benefits that are given to the buyer.
For XUV500 the discount is more direct and is almost Rs 2.6 lakh. It includes a discount of Rs 1.79 lakh in addition to Rs 20,000 in accessories, Rs 50,000 as an exchange bonus and an additional Rs 6,500 in company discount. A very capable seven-seater SUV, it’s a great thing. “There are currently only a few top-end automatic transmission models in stock for which the system is available,” said Arnab Dey, general manager of Mahindra & Mahindra dealer Royal Motor.
Citroën is offering an incentive of Rs 1.8 lakh for its C5 SUV. “It does this through a five-year service package worth 65,000 rupees, comprehensive insurance worth 60,000 rupees, accessories valued at 20,000 rupees and an extended warranty valued at 35,000 rupees,” said Arijit Bhowmick, general manager of Celica Motors, who owns the brands Jeep and Citroën sells.
For those in pursuit of the truly iconic blue SUV brand, Jeep, there’s an offer of Rs 94,000 on select Compass models. 
Renault Duster, another capable SUV but overshadowed by newbies on the ramp, has a decent offer. Although the vehicle is being moved in fewer numbers than the Kiger compact SUV, it is still some time away from being phased out, as the company will not present the next generation of the Duster until next year. The discount offered on Duster is over Rs 1 lakh, including Rs 80,000 – Rs 20,000 in cash, Rs 30,000 as an exchange bonus and Rs 30,000 as a company discount – plus an additional five-year AMC and guarantee that cost a tidy fortune.
For those interested in electric vehicles, there is a decent deal on Hyundai Kona EV with Rs 1.25 lakh discount. This is in addition to the government incentives one can get when buying electric vehicles. Hyundai is also offering 50,000 rupees for the Grand i10 Nios Turbo and Aura Turbo (35,000 rupee discount, 10,000 rupee exchange bonus and 5,000 rupee corporate discount).
Tata Motors is offering a discount of 65,000 rupees (25,000 rupees in cash and 40,000 rupees in exchange) on its Harrier SUV. The gasoline-powered compact sedan Tigor has an offer of 43,000 rupees (20,000 rupees as a discount, 20,000 rupees as an exchange bonus and 3,000 rupees for Covid warriors).
“Right now it’s a seller’s market where companies are unable to deliver the number of cars in demand. The offers were livelier in the past. Only when the semiconductor crisis is over can we relive the kind of offers that used to be made three times a year, once during the Durga Puja-Diwali festival season; once before the end of the calendar year; and finally before the end of the fiscal year, ”said Binod Agarwal, general manager of Tata Motors dealer Lexus Motors.
Maruti Suzuki has offers for only two cars: S-Cross and Alto 800. While it offers 50,000 rupees for the S-Cross (25,000 rupees discount and 25,000 rupees exchange bonus), it offers 35,000 rupees for the Alto 800 (20,000 rupees in cash) Discount and Rs 15,000 exchange bonus).
Those looking to buy well-built cars that are safe to drive can opt for the Ford Freestyle, Aspire and Figo, all of which are now being sold at discounts of 60,000 rupees each after Ford India stopped producing vehicles in India. “Customers who buy the cars will not regret the decision as there will be no problems with service and spare parts,” said Subhendu Mondal, senior sales consultant at Kaikan Ford.
SUPER CAR DEALS EVEN WHEN CHIPS ARE FREE | Kolkata News
