Venezuelan car sales fell 60.9 pct in March

Reuters, 04.04.03, 12:06 PM ET CARACAS, Venezuela, April 4 (Reuters) - Car sales in Venezuela fell 60.9 percent in March from year-earlier levels as the country's economic crisis eroded business, the Venezuelan Automobile Chamber said on Friday. A total of 4,664 cars were sold in March, compared with 11,929 units in March last year. Accumulated sales to March were 12,876 units, a slide of 73.3 percent from the same period last year. Car sales have dropped as Venezuela has struggled with deep recession and political instability. A two-month general strike in December and January battered sales further and tight currency curbs introduced in February have also cut into business. The companies affiliated with the chamber, known as CAVENEZ, are DaimlerChrysler AG's (nyse: DCX - news - people)<DCXGn.DE> DaimlerChrysler de Venezuela, Fiat SpA's <FIA.MI> Fiat Automoviles, Fiat affiliate IVECO Venezuela, Ford Motor Co. (nyse: DCX - news - people), General Motors Corp.'s (nyse: DCX - news - people) General Motors de Venezuela, AB Volvo <VOLVb.ST> affiliate Mack de Venezuela, Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s <7211.T> MMC Automotriz and Toyota Motor Corp.'s <7203.T> Toyota de Venezuela. The figures represent the total vehicle sales in Venezuela and also include car models made by non-members of CAVENEZ, such as Mazda Motor Corp. <7261.T> and Volkswagen AG <VOWG.DE>.