India's top carmaker Maruti Suzuki saw its sales jump 29 percent in July from a year earlier, reflecting strong consumer demand and industrial growth in Asia's third largest economy. Japanese-owned Maruti Suzuki India sold a total of 100,857 vehicles in July, up from 78,074 in the same month a year ago. 'This is the second time Maruti's monthly sales crossed the 100,000 mark,' a company statement said Monday, referring to the sale of a record 102,175 units in May. Tata Motors, the country's top vehicle maker, which also sells commercial vehicles such as trucks, reported its sales had risen 41 percent in July from a year earlier to 67,799 units. The figures come as carmakers are hiking the prices of their vehicles to compensate for the increased cost of raw materials such as steel and rubber. India's central bank last week said domestic economic recovery was firmly in place and strengthening as it hiked interest rates for a fourth time this year in a bid to curb double-digit inflation. Analysts see sales remaining strong as the economy picks up pace. The economy expanded by 8.6 percent year-on-year in the quarter ended March, led by strong manufacturing and services growth. Car sales in India tumbled in 2008, hit by higher loan costs and fears of job cuts amid the global financial crisis. But government stimulus steps and an economic turnaround led to a recovery in the sector in 2009. 