Domestic car sales in February up 13%

I / New Delhi March 12, 2012, 10:23 IST

Car sales in India rose an annual 13.1% in February, an industry body said, with automakers posting a fourth straight monthly increase as they continue to recover from record falls in late 2011.

Demand for cars in India fell for the first time in three years last July as high interest rates and rising fuel costs deterred buyers.

Automakers sold 211,402 cars in February, according to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) on Monday.

Total two-wheeler sales increased 11.96% to 11,44,500 units last month, from 10,22,226 units in February, 2011.

Total sales of commercial vehicles jumped 18.7% to 76,891 units, from 64,775 units in the year-ago period, SIAM said.

Sales of trucks and buses, a key indicator of economic activity, rose 18.7% in February from a year previous to 76,891 vehicles, SIAM said. Motorcycle sales rose 8% to 838,193 vehicles.

Total sale of vehicles across categories registered a growth of 12.06% to 15,33,474 units in February 2012, as against 13,68,370 units in the same month of 2011, it added.

In January, car sales rose 7.2%.