India’s automakers reported strong September sales as dealers stocked up ahead of the festive season. Maruti Suzuki’s total wholesales rose 24.4 per cent year-on-year to 2,36,013 units. Domestic passenger vehicle dispatches grew 36.9 per cent to 1,81,838 units. Its utility vehicle dispatches surged 62 per cent to 78,911 units. Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles reported total sales of 70,210 units, up 15 per cent. Its electric vehicle sales jumped 67 per cent to 15,384 units. Hero MotoCorp’s wholesales rose 11.5 per cent to 7,66,348 units. Domestic shipments grew 14.1 per cent to 7,39,018 units. Scooter volumes crossed one lakh units. The company’s Vida electric brand dispatched 28,798 units. Automakers said the build-up was driven by inventory stocking ahead of the peak festive retail period. A Maruti executive said pending bookings were above two lakh units and dealer inventory covered only 17 days of sales. Growth is expected to slow in the coming months because of a high base last year after GST cuts.