Vehicle sales have declined 13 per cent in February with the entry level two-wheeler segment sales falling 16 per cent as global crude prices have shot up. However, the passenger vehicle segment saw growth of over 10 per cent because of a low base last year, automobile dealers’ body FADA said on Tuesday.

The two-wheeler segment continued to see sluggish demand as the new wave of Covid in certain states kept customers away. Enquiry levels also narrowed as many educational institutions were still reluctant to open.

“Fuel prices are at their historic high this has affected sales in the entry-level price-sensitive category,” FADA president Vinkesh Gulati said.

The total vehicle retail sales in February dipped 13.43 per cent year-on-year, according to the vehicle registration data released by the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations of India (FADA).

Passenger vehicles showed double-digit growth at 10.59 per cent. This growth was majorly due to the low base of last year as India had started transitioning from BS-4 to BS-6 emission norms, FADA said in the release.

On a YoY basis, two-wheeler, three-wheeler and commercial vehicle registrations continued their fall by 16.08 per cent, 49.65 per cent and 29.53 per cent, respectively. Tractors continued their positive momentum by growing 18.89 per cent, the data showed.

Passenger vehicle waiting period continued to remain as high as 8 months as the scarcity of semiconductors continued to linger around.