According to figures released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), sales of vehicles of all categories, including cars and two-wheelers, were 18,255,148 units last month, up from 22,455,223 units in July 2018.
The previous largest decline in car sales in the domestic market was recorded in December 2000, when it fell by 21.81 percent.
SIAM reported that passenger car sales in July were also their worst since December 2000, when the segment declined 39.86 percent. Last month, car sales in the domestic market decreased by 35.95% to 122,956 units against 191,979 units in July 2018.
Total two-wheeler sales fell 16.82 percent last month to 1,511,692 from 1,817,406 last year. Commercial vehicle sales decreased 25.71% to 56,866 units in July from 76,545 units in July 2018.
According to SIAM CEO Vishnu Matur, the industry currently needs support and expects a package of measures from the government to revive it.
Mathur said that over the past two to three months, almost 15,000 jobs have been lost in car manufacturing companies and more than a million jobs in the automotive component segment. In addition, nearly 300 dealerships were closed due to a sharp drop in sales, resulting in the loss of another 2,000 jobs.
The automotive sector accounts for half of the GDP of the entire manufacturing industry and employs about 37 million people directly or indirectly, Mathur added.
