With prices of petrol going through the roof, many car buyers in the State capital have started preferring diesel variants over the petrol ones.
Thanks to the spurt in demand for diesel cars, the waiting period for most of these cars now is between four and six months.
The diesel variants of Maruti Dzire, SX4 or Ertiga are popular and car aspirants are forced to wait for at least six months for the delivery. Compared to last year, about 30 per cent car buyers are now opting for diesel variants, says P.T. Choudary, Chairman AP Motor Vehicle Dealers Association.
Fuel saving
Given the steep rise in petrol price, most buyers are focusing on fuel savings. Not just new car buyers, even existing petrol car owners, who generally do not travel more than 200 km a month, are also preferring to shift to a diesel variant to cut fuel expenses, he adds.
To some extent, lifestyle of the buyers is also fuelling the demand for the diesel variants, many industry observers point out. Compared to other States, many car owners in the State prefer to travel long distances in their cars.
With increasing petrol prices, it is obvious that many are opting for diesel cars. Significantly, unlike a decade ago, there is not much of difference in technology and riding comfort between a diesel and petrol variant and all these factors are influencing car buyers, industry experts assert.
Though, there are not many diesel cars available in the small car segment, buyers are willing to go that extra mile and spend more for diesel models.
And for sedans, premium cars and sports utility vehicles, the waiting period is running into weeks, depending on the model and cost of the vehicle.
Irrespective of the brand, this phenomenon is common. While, the waiting period for a Toyota Etios is four to six weeks, depending on the colour, it takes about two months for a Toyota Innova to be delivered, says Anil Kumar Jakkana, general manager, Radhakrishna Automobiles Private Limited.
“Every month, we sell about 30 petrol cars but over 160 diesel cars, including small and sedan variants are sold. This explains the demand for diesel cars in a nutshell,” says Mr.Jakkana.
