Market leader Maruti Suzuki India and arch-rival Hyundai Motor India clocked their best-ever monthly sales in October as the festive cheer pushed up demand.

Honda Cars India, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors also saw sales rise during the month.

In the domestic market, sales were up by 21 per cent to 48,815 units last month as against 40,278 units in October 2014.

Sales of passenger vehicles, including Scorpio, XUV 500, Xylo, Bolero and Verito, stood at 19,564 units as compared to 21,141 units in September 2014, down by 7 per cent.

It had sold 37,869 units in the same month last year, M&M said in a statement.

Mahindra & Mahindra had sold 51,636 units in the corresponding month last year, the company said in a statement.

Sales of passenger vehicles, including Scorpio, XUV 500, Xylo, Bolero and Verito stood at 18,804 units as compared to 19,792 units in January 2014, down five per cent.

Sales of passenger vehicles including Scorpio, XUV 500, Xylo, Bolero and Verito fell by 18 per cent to 13,765 units in the reporting month, compared to 16,771 units in November 2013.

\"The price hike has been necessitated owing to increase in commodity prices and conversion costs,\" the company said.

Maruti Suzuki India strengthened its dominance with five of its models figuring in the top 10 best selling car brands in the domestic market in April.

The company expects that post the general elections, sentiments would improve, leading to a better economic situation and hence increased demand, M&M Chief Executive (Automotive Division) Pravin Shah said.

While the overall slowdown in the economy has impacted automobile sales, availability of smarter means to reach out to the electorate such as SMSes and social media also seem to have impacted the sale of these vehicles for electioneering.

A man calling himself \"Manoj Sharma, lawyer from Gwalior\", threw ink on Roy's face, removed his own shirt and started shouting that \"he (Roy) is a thief and has stolen money from poor\".

Domestic auto-maker Mahindra & Mahindra said it will organise a free service camp next month for its vehicles, including XUV500 and Rexton, next month as part of the company's customer-centric initiatives.

In December, M&M's domestic sales stood at 36,881 units as against 42,307 in the same month previous year, down 12.82 per cent.

Mahindra & Mahindra will hike the prices of its passenger cars and commercial vehicles by Rs 6,000 to Rs 20,000 from October 1, partly to offset higher input costs and depreciation of rupee against the dollar.

Mahindra & Mahindra has reported a 17.32 per cent decrease in its total sales in August 2013. The company sold 37,897 units against 45,836 units in the same month last year.

Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra said its small commercial vehicles portfolio, comprising models like Bolero Pick up and Genio Pick Up, has crossed 12 lakh sales mark in the country.

In July this year, M&M's domestic sales stood at 34,490 units as against 42,799 units in the same month last year, down 19.41 per cent.

In the wake of low demand in the market, auto major Mahindra & Mahindra said it will stop production at its automotive plants for up to eight days this month to cut output.