Maruti Suzuki sales drop 41 per cent in August

Maruti Suzuki (India) Ltd, the country's largest carmaker, saw its car sales drop 40.8 per cent in August 2012, hit by a  month-long lock-out at its Manesar plant following a violent strike by its workers.

The company sold a total of 54,154 units in August 2012, including 4,025 units exported. Maruti Suzuki had sold a total of 91,442 units in August 2011.

The month-long lock-out at the Manesar plant, from 21 July 2012 to 20 August 2012, badly affected  the supply of the company's top-selling models such as Swift, Dzire, SX4 and A-star.

''Customers extended strong support to the company, reflected in higher retail sales of other models. The combined retail sales for July and August 2012 were 145,087 units, a growth of 6.7 per cent over the same period last year,'' Maruti Suzuki said in a release.

Domestic sales during the month stood at 50,129 units, compared to 77,086 units in August last year, down 35 percent, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said in its statement.

Production constraints limited sales of its popular compact sedan Dzire to 3,085 units, down 60.7 per cent year-on-year during the month.