Car sales surged by a robust 18.1 per cent in August 2004, for the fifth consecutive month this year as a spate of new models and easy availability of loans with low interest rates drove the industry northward.

A total of 62,846 cars were sold in the review month over 53,177 units in August last year, data released on Tuesday by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers showed.

Bus and truck sales, one of the yardsticks to measure rate of economic growth, went up by 16.5 per cent at 23,269 units in the review month over 19,962 units in August 2003.

Two-wheeler sales in India, the second-biggest market in the world after China, jumped 13 per cent at 471,000 units as motorcycle and step-thru sales grew by 14.5 per cent at 363,000 units.

A resurgent scooter and scooterettee market posted a rise of 11.6 per cent at 81,348 units while moped rode southward by registering a dip of 2.55 per cent at 26,481 units.

Three-wheeler sales skidded by 2.87 per cent at 24,443 units.

Utility vehicles sales drove up by 15.4 per cent at 13,082 units as number of carmakers have rolled out UVs in the Indian market. Sales of multi purpose vehicles also grew by 34 per cent at 5,390 units.

Domestic automobile industry has been on an upswing with almost all the segments witnessing a boom, which helped the sector enter the coveted club of nations producing one million cars a year.

The automobile industry got a shot in the arm with Finance Minister P Chidambaram complimenting the sector in his Budget speech and he announced sops for R&D in the industry.

Though car sales decelerated a bit in May 2004 after posting a double-digit growth in April, gained speed again from the third month of this fiscal.

Car market leader Maruti Udyog posted a rise of 28.2 per cent at 32,135 units in August 2004 while its nearest rival Hyundai Motor India registered a decline of 11 per cent at 9,818 units.

Sales of Tata Motors, India's third-biggest carmaker, soared 23.7 per cent at 11,611 units.

Sales of Honda Siel Cars India also grew 97.7 per cent at 2,850 units.

Indian arm of the second-biggest carmaker Ford India posted a jump of 6.48 per cent at 1,758 units while sales of General Motors India slipped by 25.7 per cent at 1,260 units.

Sales of Toyota Kirloskar Motor also dived 9.83 per cent at 798 units while luxury carmaker DaimlerChrysler India saw a growth of 108.8 per cent at 236 units.

In the UV category, market leader Mahindra and Mahindra witnessed a growth of 18.6 per cent at 2,355 units but UV sales of Toyota dipped marginally by 1.72 per cent at 2,562 units.

UV sales of Tata Motors rose 2.88 per cent at 2,355 units.

General Motors India sold 1,002 units in August 2004 over three units in the same month last year.