A fresh GST rate cut has stirred up India’s commercial vehicle market! Earlier, trucks and buses costing around ₹50 lakh had big discounts of up to ₹5 lakh, about 10% off, as makers fought hard to win buyers. Now that GST has dropped from 28% to 18%, makers don’t have to give such crazy discounts anymore. Shriram Finance's executive vice chairman, Umesh G Revankar, told the Times of India, “Since OEMs have significantly reduced the discounts, the net cost to customers has not really changed much—hardly a big change for customers, especially in the commercial vehicle segment.” What does this mean? The GST cut lowered base prices, but losing big discounts balanced the cost, so buyers don’t save as much as expected. A top NBFC official specialising in vehicle loans said that while prices eased with the GST cut, discounts dropped by 5–6 percentage points compared to before. One big truck and bus manufacturer also saw a 3–4% fall in discount rates but wasn’t sure if this happened everywhere. But don't be fooled! Some vehicle dealers say these lower discounts might not last long. “Though OEMs maintain that they don’t resort to discounts, it continues to be a norm in the competitive truck segment,” they revealed. So, the price battle in India’s truck market is still alive and kicking, even with GST changes shaking things up. All these tweaks mean one thing: buyers must look closely before grabbing deals as the tax benefit isn’t fully passed as cash savings. The truck market remains fiercely competitive, and OEMs still have tricks up their sleeves to attract buyers.