Exports of cars have declined from 31,732 units during April-February 1996-97 to 25,647 units during April-February 1997-98. Improvement in the growth rate is expected with an upturn in the economy, the Survey says.Exports of two-wheelers recorded an impressive growth of 26.4 per cent.

During 1997-98, the automobile industry witnessed almost nil growth because of a general slowdown in the economy and decline in aggregate demand, the survey has noted. The actual production of all types of vehicles during I997-98 was 39,90,964 vehicles compared to 39,79,815 in 1996-97.

There was a marginal increase of 1.3 per cent in sales during April-February I997-98, compared to the corresponding period the previous year. The actual sales during April-February 1997-98 were 36,19,715 vehicles as against 35,74,051 vehicles during April-February 1996-97.