Maruti Suzuki expects higher sales this month in India

New Delhi: 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 per cent, 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.