India's biggest carmaker Maruti sees higher sales in Sept

A man speaks on his mobile phone as he exits a glass door with the logo of Maruti Suzuki India Limited at a showroom in New Delhi on February 29, 2016. (REUTERS File Photo)
 

NEW DELHI, September 24 (Reuters): India’s biggest automaker, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, expects sales of its cars in September to be higher than the previous month, its Chairman R.C. Bhargava told Reuters on Monday.

August domestic sales at Maruti Suzuki fell 34.3%, one of the biggest monthly drops in sales in recent times. Indian auto sales fell for the 10th straight month in August, marking one of the worst slowdowns in the industry’s history.

“We expect that retail sales in September would witness an improvement over August,” Bhargava said. “The booking levels have gone up compared to last month, have gone up substantially, and the expectation is that the 29th and 30th of this month will probably witness very high retail sales.”

India’s 9-day Navaratri festival, which typically witnesses an uptick in sales, begins on Sept. 29.