Two-wheeler retail sales fall 28% as Diwali shifts to November

Dealers sold 23,21,419 two-wheelers to customers in October, down 28.35% from a year earlier, according to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations. Sales were up 29.7% from September.

FADA blamed the calendar. Last year both Navratri and Diwali fell in October. This year Dhanteras and Diwali fall on November 6 and 8. Rural sales, which depend more on Diwali buying, fell 34%, against 21% in cities.

Retail figures count vehicles registered by buyers, unlike the dispatch numbers companies report.