It is a well-known fact that automakers and dealers offer their vehicles at rock bottom prices every December as they attempt to clear stocks before the year ends. This time around, the demonetisation drive which was announced in November and shook the nation, has also affected the automotive market to a large extent. As stocks pile up at the factory and dealerships, car buyers can expect around 10 -20 per cent more discounts than the regular ones.
The discount percentage will be higher on slow selling models while newly launched popular ones might offer lesser. The country’s largest automaker Maruti Suzuki is offering total benefits of around Rs 60,000 for the Alto 800 and discount of up to Rs 55,000 on the Alto K10 manual and additional Rs 5,000 off for AMT variant. The Celerio is offered at a discount of about Rs 50,000 and an additional Rs 5,000 off on the AMT variant, as for Wagon R, Maruti Suzuki is offering total benefits of about Rs 50,000.
Renault, a strong growing brand in India, is straightaway offering cash discounts of up to Rs 1 lakh on its popular selling compact SUV, Duster and the Lodgy MPV. Owing to demonetisation, the automaker has collaborated with banks to offer 100 per cent finance on its vehicles. Moreover, the automaker has also tied up with e-wallet service providers like PayTM and HDFC PayZapp to allow customers to make payments at the dealerships. The customers can also make payments via checks, demand drafts and debit or credit cards.
The country’s second largest automaker Hyundai, is offering 100 per cent on-road financing option. The automaker also continues to offer the five year old pricing offer on the Eon and i10 with savings of up to Rs 60,000 and Rs 53,000 respectively. The Grand i10 is offered with savings of up to Rs 91,000 and the Elite i20 attracts savings of up to Rs 35,000. The Verna sedan is offered with benefits of up to Rs 1 lakh and is now offered at special price of Rs 6.99 lakh, whereas the Xcent and Santa Fe attract savings of up to Rs 52,000 and Rs 2 lakh, respectively.
This is probably the best time for potential customers to drive home a new car as most major automakers in the country have announced their plans to hike prices across models from January 2017 onwards. Moreover, customers can also ask for additional benefits at dealer level.
