New Delhi, March 8 (IANS) Anticipation of a price hike after the budget boosted car sales by 33 percent in February this year to 153,845 units.

As per data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Monday, car manufacturers sold 115,505 units in the year-ago period.

Sale of commercial vehicles, a key indicator of economic activity, rose a whopping 87 percent during the month at 58,024 units.

Auto stocks reacted positively to the news and were among the major gainers on the Bombay Stock Exchange.