But Honda Siel Cars, Volkswagen, Toyota Kirloskar, General Motors, Ford and Mahindra & Mahindra gained, helped by price cuts and new launches.
Maruti Suzuki on Thursday said it sold 77,086 units in the domestic market last month, down 16.8% from 92,674 units in the year-ago month. It was the carmaker's third consecutive monthly drop in sales, which was worsened by disruption in production due to labour unrest at its Manesar facility.
Sales were down 25% in July.
"The disruption in production at the Manesar plant in end-August adversely impacted the sales numbers during the month," the company, 54.2% owned by Japan's Suzuki Motors, said in a statement.
Sales of 'People's Car' Nano plunged 85%, contributing to Tata Motors' 33.25% fall in passenger vehicle sales. The automaker sold 16,829 units in the domestic market, against 25,212 in the same month last year.
Hyundai Motor India, too, said sales had slipped. The company sold 26,677 units in the month, down 6.7% from 28,601 in August last year. "The market continues to be tough and there are no signs of recovery in the immediate future. Rising fuel prices and interest rates have caused this sluggish trend," said Arvind Saxena, director (marketing & sales) at Hyundai Motor India.
Most Auto Companies Post Smart Gains
Most other manufacturers, however, posted smart gains. Honda Siel Cars India reported the highest-ever sales for August at 6,907 units, a 25% increase over the year-ago period. The company had sold 5,518 units in the corresponding month last year, the carmaker said in a statement.
"This remarkable growth in sales is fuelled by the sales of Honda City. The company sold 5,819 units of Honda City in August, registering 35% growth from the 4,251 units sold in August 2010," the company said.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor and General Motors India bettered sales with launch of new models.
Toyota said sales jumped 83.8% to 11,693 units, driven by a robust demand for Innova and its latest products Etios and Liva.
General Motors India reported a 14% increase at 9,050 units, led by a good response to its diesel version of Beat.
The country's largest utility vehicles and tractor maker, Mahindra & Mahindra, said sales rose 31% to 35,756 units, compared with 27,275 in the year-ago period. Volkswagen India said it sold 6,091 units during the month, up 72% over the same month last year. "Despite the current market conditions, we are pleased to be able to maintain our overall sales," Volkswagen India Director (sales) Neeraj Garg said.
Ford India said overall sales grew 9% to 8,914 units mainly on demand for the all-new sedan Fiesta and compact car Figo.
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