Country's largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp today reported a decrease of 4.24 per cent

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in its sales at 5,01,271 units in February 2013.

The company had sold 5,23,465 units in February 2012, Hero MotoCorp said in a statement.

Hero MotoCorp Senior Vice President (Marketing and Sales) Anil Dua said: "Selling over five lakh units despite the overall sluggishness in the market is an encouraging sign of customer preference and sustained demand for our products in the market. However, overall sentiment in the industry still remains weak."

The industry did stage some recovery during the festival period but does not seem to have sustained the momentum, he added.

"High interest rates, persistent inflation and delayed monsoon have all played their part in building to a rather poor consumer sentiment this fiscal," Dua said.