According to the latest figures released, the total car sales fell for the sixth month in a row in the month of April as customers faced increasing fuel prices and high cost of financing.

The numbers released by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) showed that the car sales fell 10.43 per cent during the fairst month of the current financial year 2013-2014 compared to the same month of the previous year. The overall data also showed that overall passenger vehicles fell 8.21 per cent during the month. The industry body said that this might be the longest fall in car sales in the country.

New Delhi, May 10 : Passenger car sales in India fell 10.43 percent in April as high interest rates and fuel costs dampened consumer sentiments, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said Friday.

Data furnished by SIAM showed a decline of 10.43 percent, as only 150,789 units were sold in the month from 168,354 units in April, 2012. The passenger car sales had fallen 6.7 percent in the year ended March 31, the first time in a decade.

The Indian passenger car market will likely see a flat or marginal growth in sales in the current fiscal year, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said.

SIAM on Wednesday slashed its October growth forecast for passenger car sales to 0-1 per cent for the fiscal year 2012-13. In October, the industry body had estimated passenger car sales for the current fiscal at 1.3 per cent.

Slowing economic growth, high fuel prices and interest rates forced industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) to slash growth forecast of auto sales in the domestic market for the second time in four months.

SIAM on Wednesday slashed its car sales growth forecast for the fiscal year of 2012-13 to 1-3 per cent, from its own July forecast of 9-11 per cent. It also lowered growth forecast for two-wheelers sales from its earlier forecast of 11-13 per cent to 5-7 per cent.

The car industry of India is undergoing difficult situation and needs urgent help, industry lobby group Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said.

Sugato Sen, senior director at SIAM, urged the government to lend a helping hand to the industry, saying the various segments of the industry had been suffering decline in sales.

Speaking on the topic, Mr. Sen said, "Car sales are under pressure, two-wheeler sales have gone down and medium-and heavy-duty commercial vehicle volumes are down. The industry needs urgent help to come out of this situation."

The Society of Indian Auto Manufacturers (SIAM) has cut its growth forecast for passenger car sales for the year due to lower demand in the country.

The demand in the auto sector has fallen due to higher cost of financing vehicles for the consumer and increasing cost of fuel. SIAM is expecting the car sales to grow at the rate of 9-11 per cent during the financial year 2013 compared to a forecast of 10-12 per cent earlier.

According to the latest industry estimates, the number of unsold diesel vehicles rose to more than double at 107,818 units in May this year from 52,250 in the same month of 2011.

Auto makers have increased production capacity of diesel by a third in the country due to a sudden increase in demand as the petrol prices increased in the country. The inventory of unsold petrol cars fell moderately by 1.75 per cent to 193,094 units.

Automakers in the country have expressed concerns over the continuing uncertainty over the pricing mechanism of diesel in India and have threatened to withdraw investment plans over the issue.

The government has asked the members of industry body, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) to submit new data to determine the demand for diesel vehicles in the country. Auto manufacturers say that they have invested heavily on the diesel vehicle plans and uncertainty will threaten any future investment from the companies.

The country's second largest commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland has said that it is planning to launch 5 new vehicles in the domestic market during the current financial year.

The launch comes at a time when newer players like Mahindra Navistar, Volvo, Mercedes and AMW are increasing looking to capture market share of the heavy truck market. The market was dominated by Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland until recently.

An auto industry body has warned that the annual car sales might record a drop for the first time in ten years in the fiscal year till March 2012 as the figure had last recorded a decrease in 2002.

Vishnu Mathur, director general of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said that the auto industry in the country is very much affected by the level of interest rates and the central bank is unlikely to bring them down soon.

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), which represents the interest of the Indian auto industry, has urged the central government to exclude the industry from the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union.

SIAM has said that the country is not likely to gain anything from the FTA with the European Union.

The Centre for Science and Environment has recommended imposition of an additional duty of up to Rs 162,000 on big diesel cars in the country in order to avoid the misuse of diesel subsidies bourn by the government.

Several car makers in India are now offering attractive discounts towards the end of the year in order to improve sales in the country.

Manufacturers are offering rebates on petrol and some diesel models to sell the stock of older models before the new year. Car sales have fallen in the country by 3.53% to 1.2 million units in the April-November period compared to the same period of 2010.

The Indian auto sector saw recorded an increase of 7 per cent in vehicle sales in the month of November, according to the figures released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) on Thursday.

The car sales increased mainly due to revival in demand in the country as well as a low base year factor. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) released figures Thursday showing that the domestic passenger car sales stood at 1,71,131 units in November compared to 1,59,939 units in November 2010.

To the relief of automakers in India, the car sales have increased after four consecutive months of contraction in the month of November recording a 7 per cent growth in the month.

The car sales increased mainly due to revival in demand in the country as well as a low base year factor. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) released figures Thursday showing that the domestic passenger car sales stood at 1,71,131 units in November compared to 1,59,939 units in November 2010.

Sales growth in passengers’ vehicle in India is the highest in the world. The information came in lime light when the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) presented the data for the June quarter in which the recorded growth of India was 18.2%.

After India, other countries which registered positive growth were -America with 14.4%, Germany with 14.3% and China with 11%.China’s position has dropped drastically as compared to last year as China was former topper.