March car sales skid; firms expect slow progress for some months

Dispatches at most companies were either muted or fell, amid a pile of unsold stock

March was yet another weak month for automobile companies as car buyers postponed purchases amid uncertainty ahead of the Lok Sabha election and tepid economic indicators. 

The new financial year (2019-20, starting Monday) seems unlikely to offer relief and sales are expected to remain in the slow lane till a post-election government takes charge.  Dispatches at most companies, with the exception of a few, were either muted or fell, amid a pile of unsold stock (auto companies in India count dispatches to dealers as sales). 

Cumulative sale at India's top six passenger vehicle (PV) makers dropped 0.7 per cent to