With the approach of the festive season, there is an increase in car sales, and automakers are anticipating this period in the Indian market. According to the report, smaller cities will play a significant role in sales this season.
The group CarDekho published a report indicating that in August and September 2026, 58 percent of total search queries were made in small towns. A larger number of people sought information about cars specifically in second and third-tier cities. Furthermore, interest in electric vehicles is noticeably increasing.
Jaipur leads in searches for electric vehicle information, surpassing major cities like Bangalore and Delhi. Among potential buyers, approximately three out of four show interest in the SUV segment.
In the preliminary study before the start of the festive season, the share of second-tier and small cities was about 58 percent, while first-tier cities accounted for 42 percent. The state of Uttar Pradesh led the car market research with a 13.3 percent share of the total research volume. It was followed by Maharashtra with 12.3 percent, and Delhi ranked third with 9.1 percent.
Among the ten most popular cities where people search for car information, Patna, Lucknow, and Jaipur are listed. Notably, in online research, Patna surpasses cities such as Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The interest of residents in small towns in purchasing cars is not limited only to affordable models.
According to the report, the share of luxury cars in the total research volume in Patna is 6.7 percent. This figure is equal to that in Bangalore and exceeds that of Delhi. Among people researching luxury cars in second-tier cities and smaller, there is high demand for SUVs. In these cities, SUVs constituted about 70 percent of the total luxury car research, whereas this figure was 61 percent in first-tier cities.
Regarding car body types, the SUV segment maintains a dominant position. Approximately three-quarters of consumers are looking for information on SUV models. The highest demand in this segment is for compact SUVs. Additionally, there is a trend towards choosing premium models in the hatchback segment; the share of premium hatchbacks in the total hatchback research reaches 83 percent.