Mint Quick Edit | Auto dispatches: Still at a crawl

Passenger vehicle sales in February held their head above water, but only just. Wholesale dispatches for the month climbed 1.9% from a year earlies to 377,689 units, according to data put out by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers on Thursday. But given weakening consumer demand, a problem that even attracted India's budget focus the growth figure isn't all that bad. A slowing economy has meant income prospects have dimmed, even as the wealth effect of swelling stock portfolios has gone into reverse. If this isn't resolved, businesses may be left staring at premature saturation in markets that should be booming in a country of such vast numbers and high upward-mobility potential.