Chennai: India’s passenger vehicle market witnessed a sharp festive sales surge on Dhanteras, with Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motor India and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles expecting combined deliveries of more than 58,000 vehicles on the auspicious day, while Mahindra & Mahindra reported strong demand, near-zero physical SUV inventory and operations at full capacity.Maruti Suzuki India expects to deliver around 30,000 vehicles on Dhanteras, while Hyundai Motor India is targeting 16,000 units, nearly 14% higher than last year. Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles expects single-day deliveries to cross 12,000 units.Strong demand extends beyond Dhanteras, with automakers reporting higher retail sales since the start of the festive season, supported by new product launches and sustained customer interest.“From Ganesh Chaturthi on September 14 to November 6, we have already recorded retail sales of over 4 lakh vehicles, compared with 3.46 lakh units during the same period last year,” said Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer, marketing and sales, Maruti Suzuki India.The company has also seen strong demand for the upgraded Brezza and Baleno models. Within two months, Baleno sales crossed 50,000 units and Brezza sales surpassed 70,000 units, with both models carrying substantial pending bookings, Banerjee said.Hyundai Motor India expects deliveries of around 16,000 vehicles across Dhanteras and Diwali, reflecting a nearly 14% increase from the previous year.“Dhanteras and Diwali are among the most auspicious days to bring home a new vehicle, and we are witnessing strong customer demand this year as well,” said Tarun Garg, MD and CEO of Hyundai Motor India.Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles has recorded retail growth of more than 20% since Ganesh Chaturthi compared with the corresponding period last year, reflecting sustained demand across markets.“The festive season has delivered strong and sustained demand across markets, with customers nationwide choosing our vehicles to mark the occasion. Newly launched products have added further momentum, strengthening traction across the portfolio,” said Amit Kamat, chief commercial officer of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles.The company expects the strong momentum to continue, with Diwali muhurat deliveries scheduled through Wednesday.Mahindra & Mahindra, meanwhile, said demand remained strong across its SUV portfolio, with vehicle registrations pointing to robust growth during the festive period.“Based on VAHAN registration data for comparable festive days, starting from Navratri, Mahindra has been the fastest-growing brand over the approximately 25-day period tracked so far,” said Rajesh Jejurikar, ED and CEO, auto and farm sector, Mahindra & Mahindra.The demand surge has tightened supplies. Physical SUV stocks are close to zero across most of Mahindra’s portfolio, with less than eight to nine days of inventory, excluding vehicles in transit. The company is operating at full capacity, with October volumes exceeding previously indicated capacity levels.Mahindra also reported strong demand for its electric SUV portfolio through October and maintained its outlook for mid-to-high-teen SUV volume growth in FY27.