Maruti Suzuki says car sales growth cooling

India's biggest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd said growth in car sales would slow in the second half of the year, dampening expectations of a rapid recovery in the country's automotive market.

Maruti, which sells almost one in every two cars in India, beat analyst estimates with a near 29 percent rise in its quarterly net profit on Thursday, thanks to a 15 percent jump in car sales during the six months to Sept. 30.

But RC Bhargava, Maruti's chairman, said sales momentum was now slowing, and growth over the 2014-2015 financial year would average out at about 10 percent.

"The situation of course is not as bright as many people hoped it would be at this point. We do not expect that the growth in sales of Maruti will be as high a percentage in the first half and this will slow down," he told reporters following the release of the company's results.

Indian car makers are launching new and upgraded models of their cars, betting on improved consumer sentiment and an economic recovery under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new government.