Lockdown crushes Motown: Sales of top auto makers decline 64% in March

Auto sales decline by 64% as manufacturers shut down to prevent spread of coronavirus

A nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus has brought an already struggling auto industry to its knees. The country’s automobile sales are down by an average 64 per cent as all manufacturing plants have been shut since the lockdown announced on March 24.

The March auto sales numbers, a measure of the country’s economic health, are a pointer that a series of measures would be required to restart the economic engine post the pandemic, according to analysts.

Maruti, which sells one in every two cars in India, said it had sold 83,792 in March, down 47 per cent