New car buyers in search of compelling deals are in for some good news. Though the chip shortage and high demand may be hammering delivery times, there are still some 2021 model year vehicles available with lucrative discounts from the dealers. Read on to know how much you could save on your next car purchase. 

• Dealer discounts still available on some MY21 cars
• Waiting periods for MY22 cars expected to be long
• Tata Motors begins MY22 deliveries 

The semiconductor crisis has severely impacted car production in the past few months, and industry experts suggest that the chip shortage is expected to continue till at least the middle of this year. On the other hand, customer demand for cars and SUVs remains strong, even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Carmakers report healthy order banks, with the waiting periods for many models stretching up to several months.

While many auto companies had streamlined production, according to the availability of semiconductors, to ensure no unsold stock was left at the end of 2021, many dealers are still reporting pending inventories. It seems that with the commencement of a new year and customers’ preference for the latest model year products, there are still a few units waiting to find buyers.

Leftover MY21 stocks: what all did we find?

As per our on-ground research, multiple dealers across India are offering discounts on numerous MY21 models from brands like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Toyota, Volkswagen, Renault and Force Motors. The dealers we spoke to have, however, noted that the current benefits are lower than in the past years and there are much lesser leftover stocks as compared to the last few years.

Toyota dealers in some cities are offering benefits of Rs 50,000 or more on the MY2021 Glanza, Urban Cruiser and InnovaCrysta. The Hyundai i20 can be had with Rs 75,000 off, with the Alcazar getting even higher discounts. We also found a few dealers offering discounts in the range of 35,000 to Rs 50,000 on very few MY2021 Taigun SUVs. With the upcoming launch of the VW Virtus sedan, dealers are also trying to clear Vento stocks – the few units left can be had with discounts of Rs 75,000-1,50,000. The Renault Kiger and Kwid get attractive benefits, with substantial savings possible on the Duster.

It may just be over two months old in the market, but the Maruti Suzuki Celerio is already being retailed with Rs 35,000 off for the MY21 units. And then there’s the new Force Gurkha which can be had with a Rs 51,000 discount at some locations.  For a complete list of benefits on model year 2021 vehicles, refer to the table below.

Significantly, retail outlets of Tata Motors have only a few units of the high-end Punch variants left from last year, and those too are being offered with minimal discounts. Tata recently revised the pricing of the Punch sub-compact SUV, with the top-spec Creative variant getting a price reduction and rest of the range facing a markup in costs.

Except for the Punch, most of the MY21 units from Tata’s portfolio are sold out. The company has been performing remarkably in recent times, even beating Hyundai to become the second highest-selling carmaker in December 2021. Tata is also the only mainstream carmaker to have started dispatching model year 2022 units to its dealers, with customer deliveries also underway.

Disclaimer: Discounts vary from city to city. Please check with your local dealer for exact discounts, which may not match figures quoted here.

Would you buy a MY21 car at a discounted price, or is it worth waiting for MY22 offerings? Let us know in the comments below.