Car registrations could improve during Diwali: RTO officials

MUMBAI: Rising fuel prices have had a direct impact on four-wheeler sales. Registration of new cars in Mumbai fell by 20% at city RTOs between August 1 and October 15—the period when new car purchases were “subdued” due to rising fuel prices. The increase during this period was Rs 7.5 for petrol and Rs 8 for diesel.Latest statistics provided by the transport department show the dip has been highest in the western suburbs. Drop in new car registrations is up to 30% at Andheri RTO which caters to the suburban areas between Bandra and Jogeshwari. The number of cars registered at the four city RTOs between August 1 and October 15 was around 3,000 less than those registered during the same period last year.This is the period when fuel prices kept rising (since August 1), touching a new high in Mumbai almost every day, and finally surging to a record Rs 91.34 a litre for petrol in the first week of October. Diesel price had also peaked to Rs 80.10 a litre around the same time. While fuel prices soared, new registrations at Andheri RTO dipped from 1,676 cars in August 2017 to1,406 in August. Registrations fell from 2,059 in September 2017 to 1,263 this September and from 772 to 454 for the first fortnight of October.The number of cars registered fell from 4,507 in 2017 to 3,123 cars this year at Andheri RTO—a 30% drop. Borivli RTO saw the second major dip with 2,869 cars registered in this period compared to 3,877 registrations in 2017—a drop of 1,008. Wadala RTO, too, saw a dip of about 200 cars in this period, with the drop being 45 cars (from 455 last year to 410 this year), between October 1 and October 15—before Dussehra. Tardeo RTO also saw a dip of around 300 cars during the fuel price hike, sources said.A transport official said the dip was due to fuel prices hitting the roof in Mumbai. The official added that the situation could improve now that fuel prices have been dipping for the past eight days, and registrations could go up during Diwali.Petrol price has dipped by Rs 2.50 in the past eight days, while diesel by Rs 1.60 as the city did not witness any hikes since this Dussehra. On Sunday, petrol price in Mumbai was Rs 85.54 a litre, while the retail rate of diesel at pumps was Rs 77.61.Officials said before August, there was no major fuel price hike and so registration of new cars rose, but the drop was seen from August. Two-wheeler registrations in the city crossed 20 lakh in Mumbai. Citizens prefer two-wheelers due to convenience of easy EMIs; fuel efficiency being much higher than that of a car; a bike can be used for short-distance travel and navigation on congested roads is easier.