
NEW DELHI -- India's automobile industry is optimistic of a pickup in sales in the current festive season after the sharp slump in 2019 and production and supply disruptions this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but company leaders say the true picture of recovery would only become clear next year.
The country's top-selling passenger carmaker Maruti Suzuki India and third-largest Tata Motors said demand during the current festive season has helped. The festive season started in mid-October and will last until Diwali, the country's biggest Hindu festival, which falls on Nov. 14. Maruti is majority-owned by Japan's Suzuki Motor.