Dealers wilt as car buyers shun heat

livemint.com:

fuel car purchases in May. “During the peak heat hours from 12 pm to 4 pm, it feels like the showroom is closed. Only customers with planned deliveries are coming in," said Vinkesh Gulati, director of United Automobiles, which runs 12 passenger vehicle and two-wheeler showrooms in the National Capital Region and Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

“Footfall is 30-35% less compared to April, and even after 5 pm, there are few people who show up. Peak activity now only happens around 6pm, which has always been the case, but we are unable to cover up for the slow periods," he added. On Monday, temperatures at 17 locations in India crossed 48 degrees, including parts of the national capital.

The government's weather office on Tuesday issued a ‘Red Alert’ for Wednesday and Thursday for Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi-NCR, Western UP and Madhya Pradesh. Some relief is expected after three days due to a western disturbance, the India Meteorological Department said. “Inquiries are fewer due to the elections, heat, and lack of marriage events.

May retail is down by 10% so far, and we don’t see a very positive overall outlook," Gulati of United Automobiles added. “We are not seeing a lot of customers interested in buying cars right now. The extreme heat is a significant deterrent," Gulati noted.

Last May had several dates considered auspicious for wedding, leading to passenger vehicle dispatches and retails at nearly 335,000 units and306,000 units respectively, the highest for any month of May. “Our sense is right now inquiries have dropped 15% on average in May due to the extreme temperature", Manish Raj Singhania, president, Federation of Auto Dealers Association (FADA) said. However, both Singhania and Gulati added that new launches like