From The Economic Times · Writankar Mukherjee and Aanya Thakur · · 1m 10s
Indian consumers upgrade homes and cars
India's affluent consumers drive home upgrades, premium cars, and luxury watches as rural demand surges.
In brief
India's affluent consumers drive home upgrades, premium cars, and luxury watches as rural demand surges. Indian consumers are upgrading homes, cars, and electronics to premium tiers, with rural markets now driving significant growth. Originally reported by The Economic Times.
Quick answers
- What's next?
- Companies must expand premium offerings to rural markets to sustain growth.
- What is the key takeaway from Indian consumers upgrade homes and cars?
- Indian consumers are upgrading homes, cars, and electronics to premium tiers, with rural markets now driving significant growth.
Upgrading starts here
Indian consumers upgrade homes, travel, cars, and electronics as incomes rise.
“We consider our addressable target to be 300 million people”
Urban growth slows
Over 49% of city homes cost more than ₹1 crore, up from 49% a year earlier.
Rural demand surges
Rural markets now drive premium product growth, with Jharkhand seeing 6 lakh premium beer cases.
“We went from zero to 6 lakh cases of premium beer”
Travel trends shift
International air travel grew 3.9% in FY26, nearly three times domestic traffic growth.
Luxury watches surge
Swiss watch imports rose 37% in the first half of 2026.
Smartphone shift
Smartphones below ₹15,000 now make up 24% of sales, down from 45% in 2024.
Rural premium growth
Rural consumers now drive premium product demand, with Jharkhand seeing 6 lakh premium beer cases.
“We went from zero to 6 lakh cases of premium beer”
What's next?
Companies must expand premium offerings to rural markets to sustain growth.
The essence
Indian consumers are upgrading homes, cars, and electronics to premium tiers, with rural markets now driving significant growth.
