Passenger vehicle retail sales dip 5% in March: FADA

Domestic passenger vehicle retail sales in March declined by 4.87 per cent to 271,358 units, as compared to the same month last year, automobile dealers' body FADA said on Tuesday.

According to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), PV sales stood at 285,240 units in March 2021.

"Passenger vehicles continue to see high demand and long waiting periods as semiconductor availability still remains a challenge, even though supplies slightly improved from previous month," FADA president Vinkesh Gulati noted.

The Russia-Ukraine war and China lockdown will further dent supplies and will hit vehicle deliveries, he added.

Two-wheeler sales declined by 4.02 per cent to 11,57,681 units last month, as compared to 12,06,191 units in the year-ago period.

"The two-wheeler segment was already a non performer due to rural distress.

"It saw further dampening due to rise in vehicle ownership cost coupled with rising fuel cost," Gulati stated.

Commercial vehicle sales were up 14.91 per cent to 77,938 units, as compared to 67,828 units in March last year.

Three-wheeler sales were also up 26.61 per cent to 48,284 units last month, as compared to 38,135 units in March 2021.

Total sales across categories, however, declined by 2.87 per cent to 16,19,181 units last month, as against 16,66,996 units in the same month last year.