Nashik auto sales fell sharply during this year’s Laxmi Pujan, with passenger-car sales declining 15% and two-wheeler sales dropping 17% from the same festive occasion last year, as drought conditions and deficient rainfall weakened buyer sentiment across the district.
Around 600 passenger cars worth Rs 60 crore were sold in Nashik city on Laxmi Pujan this year, compared with approximately 700 cars worth Rs 70 crore during the corresponding occasion last year. The two-wheeler market recorded a steeper decline, with about 2,200 units worth Rs 22 crore sold on Sunday, against 2,600 units worth Rs 26 crore last year.
Sachin Mahajan, president of the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations Maharashtra, attributed the decline to drought conditions in Nashik district and other parts of Maharashtra. Laxmi Pujan is traditionally considered an auspicious occasion for purchasing vehicles, making the day an important indicator for festive-season demand in the automobile market.
The reduction in vehicle purchases points to a more cautious spending environment in a district where rural and semi-urban economic conditions influence demand for personal mobility. The available figures show that the decline was not limited to one vehicle category, although two-wheelers experienced a larger fall in unit sales than passenger cars.
Automobile dealers remained hopeful that sales would improve during the rest of the festive period. The report did not provide a revised sales forecast or details of any specific incentives being offered by dealerships. The final festive-season performance will therefore depend on whether buyers return after Laxmi Pujan and whether sales recover across both passenger vehicles and two-wheelers.
Nashik’s property market moved in the opposite direction. Around 110 flats worth Rs 100 crore were booked in the city on Laxmi Pujan, compared with approximately 100 flats during the same occasion last year, representing an increase of about 5–7% in bookings.
Gaurav Thakkar, president of CREDAI Nashik, said buyers largely preferred ready-possession homes and luxury flats. Affordable housing bookings were comparatively lower, he said, while no new projects were launched because the city had adequate residential inventory.
The contrasting movement in the automobile and housing segments suggests that festive demand was uneven across Nashik’s urban economy. Vehicle purchases weakened amid concerns associated with drought conditions, while home bookings recorded a marginal rise, concentrated in ready-to-occupy and higher-end properties. The figures supplied in the report cover Laxmi Pujan sales and bookings and do not establish a wider annual trend for either sector.
Across the city, residents celebrated Diwali with Laxmi Pujan, illuminated homes, offices and shops, and heavy activity in major markets. Business was brisk in clothing, puja articles and marigold flowers, while crowds and last-minute purchases created congestion on several busy stretches, leaving limited space for motorists.
Dealers are now looking to the remaining festive days for a possible recovery in vehicle sales. The property sector, meanwhile, recorded its Laxmi Pujan bookings without launching new projects, with ready-possession homes and luxury flats accounting for the strongest reported demand.
