If winter in December was a golden period of discounts on luxury cars, monsoon in June is better. The stimulus package from the government for the car industry helped cut down on car prices in India drastically in the new year. Now June brings in exciting new promises with car manufacturers offering discounts between Rs 5,000 and Rs 1 Lakh to counter a common notion that new cars will suffer in rain and slushy roads.

The entire range of Maruti cars excluding the recently rolled out Maruti Suzuki Ritz and Swift DZire attract discounts. Also, the fast-selling Swift hatchback gets only Rs 5,000 off. This is part of Maruti’s monsoon strategy which is introduced every year to push sales. Maruti Suzuki is not the only car manufacturer to blah as General Motors, Ford, and Tata too are offering monsoon discounts. Interestingly, Hyundai has launched a programme in which used cars can be exchanged for new ones for special benefits.

Car manufacturers are also offering other benefits such free car insurance, exchange programmes, loyalty bonuses, free accessories, warranty extension, and gift schemes.

Auto analysts speculate that car manufacturers are offering heavy discounts on cars this year fearing rise in excise duty in the new budget. They are also eager to forget the bad days of recession and get on with good sales.