The shares of automobile companies fell sharply on Tuesday after trade body data showed passenger vehicle sales in July recorded their worst percentage fall since December 2000.
The domestic passenger vehicle sales dived 30.9 per cent in July, according to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.
The Auto index was down 3.64 per cent. The shares of Maruti Suzuki dropped 4.29 per cent, Mahindra and Mahindra fell 5.7 per cent and TVS Motor skidded 4.63 per cent.
The auto sector is in crisis due to high taxes and insurance costs and unavailability of credit to customers. The automakers have resorted to cut in production and job layoffs as crisis deepens.