BENGALURU : Automakers in India saw a steep fall in sales in March as a slowdown in demand was exacerbated by shutdowns in production due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The government last week sent India into a 21-day lockdown to try to curb the spread of the virus, forcing automakers such as Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ford Motor Co, Toyota Motor Corp and Hyundai Motor Co to suspend manufacturing.
Maruti, which sells one in every two cars in India, said it sold 83,792 in March, down 47% from a year earlier, although it said the number was not comparable with 2019 due to the suspension of operations from March 22. "The shutdown started only last week, so the fall is still steep even if it is not comparable," said Shashank Kanodia,