The budget has made owning a car more expensive and it remains to be seen if it deters the Indian customers to stop shopping for their dream vehicle. The February sales figures are out and nearly every car manufacturer has posted robust sales growth pre-budget.

Fiat India reported 78.38 per cent jump in its total sales at 2,335 units in February this year. The company had sold 1,309 units in the corresponding period last year, Fiat India Automobiles said in a statement. While Maruti posted 22 percent jump in its sales, its closest rival in India, Hyundai, reported a jump of 43 percent in its overall sales figures which marks its best performance in past 12 months. Tata Motors also posted 58 percent growth keeping it intact on its platform as the largest auto manufacturer in India by revenue generation.

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd today reported an increase of 35.70 per cent in domestic sales for February at 26,580 units. The company had sold 19,594 units in the domestic market during the same month last year. However, Logan sales continue to drop in the Indian market with MRIL reporting sales of only 537 units in Feb 2010 as against 1008 units in Feb 2009 marking a drop of 46.73 percent in sales figures of the model.