Passenger vehicle sales in the country declined 19 per cent in November as the shortage of semiconductors continued to impact vehicle production and subsequent deliveries to dealers, auto industry body SIAM said on Friday.

Passenger vehicle sales in November were at a seven-year low at 2.15 lakh units, down 19 per cent from 2.64 lakh units in November 2020.

Similarly, two-wheeler sales were at an 11-year low at 10.5 lakh units, down 34 per cent from 16 lakh units in the year-ago period. Motorcycle dispatches dropped to 6.9 lakh units in November compared with 10.2 lakh units in the same month last year.

Scooter dispatches stood at 3.06 lakh units last month against 5.02 lakh units in the same period last year.

Total three-wheeler sales were at a 19-year low of 22,471 units, down 7 per cent from 24,071 units in November 2020.

Total automobile sales across categories dropped to 12.88 lakh units last month against 18.89 lakh units in the year-ago period.

“Industry continues to face headwinds due to global semiconductor shortage. In the festive season, industry was hoping to make up for the lost ground, but the sales in the month of November 2021 were the lowest in seven years for passenger vehicles, the lowest in 11 years for two-wheelers and the lowest in 19 years for three-wheelers,” Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers director-general Rajesh Menon said in a statement.

Amidst the rising threat of Omicron, the new Covid variant, industry is proactively ensuring employee safety and monitoring any supply chain hiccups, he added.

In November, Maruti Suzuki India’s dispatches declined to 1,09,726 units compared with 1,35,775 units in November 2020. Similarly, Hyundai Motor India saw its dispatches dip to 37,001 units last month, as against 48,800 units in the year-ago period.

Meanwhile, Tata Motors on Friday said it will hike prices of its entire passenger vehicle range from January to offset the impact of rising input costs. Similarly, luxury motorcycle brand Ducati said it will also hike prices across its product range from next month.