NEW DELHI: Wholesale dispatches of passenger vehicles crashed 51% year on year to 1,43,014 units in March as manufacturers, across segments, halted production in the last week of the month due to outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic, according to data released by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) on Monday.
Most manufacturers had planned to reduce vehicle production due to the transition to BS VI norms from April 1 and shortage of spare parts from China, but their plans went haywire since retail sales nosedived during the month due to the crisis.
Sales of passenger cars declined by 52.12% y-o-y to 85,229 units, while the sport utility vehicle segment registered 44.67% y-o-y fall in dispatches to 51,569 units.