India’s automobile industry maintained its growth momentum in February, with leading automakers reporting higher sales to dealers as firm consumer demand supported sales across passenger vehicles and utility segments.Leading automakers Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors passenger vehicles, Mahindra & Mahindra and Hyundai reported an increase in vehicle despatches last month, reflecting continued strength in the domestic market, news agency PTI reported.Domestic passenger vehicle sales rose to 1,61,000 units in February compared to 1,60,791 units in February 2025, auto market leader Maruti Suzuki India said.Sales in the small car segment, which includes Alto and S-Presso, rose marginally to 10,238 units from 10,226 units a year earlier.
However, the compact segment, including Baleno, Celerio, Dzire, Ignis, Swift and WagonR, declined to 66,386 units last month against 72,942 units in the same period last year.Sales of utility vehicles, which cover Brezza, Ertiga, E-Vitara, Vronex, Grand Vitara, Invicto, Jimny, Victoris and XL6, rose to 72,756 units compared to 65,033 units in February 2025.Partho Banerjee, chief marketing and sales executive at Maruti Suzuki, said the company is calibrating production to reduce waiting times across models.
He noted that the automaker reported record sales of 2.14 lakh in February while operating at more than 100 per cent capacity, with a new manufacturing line expected to come online in April and additional volumes likely to be produced from May onwards.“Domestic wholesale sales reached an all-time high of 1.64 lakh units for February, and retail sales grew 12 per cent to 1.51 lakh units. Moreover, network inventory is low at 12 days, with 7 days in transit,” he said.Banerjee added that the company’s sales of medium SUVs doubled compared to last year, increasing the market share in this segment from 12.8 per cent to 19 per cent.Responding to a query about the impact of the ongoing war in the Middle East, Rahul Bharti, chief executive officer, Maruti Suzuki, said: “We are monitoring the situation closely. However, our exposure to the Middle East as an export region is not very high.”
This year, it represents about 12.5 percent of our total exports.“In fact, since we export to close to 100 countries, we have ensured that our portfolio is well diversified and risk-free in nature. It is at times like these that the depth of leadership really comes out. We are not just increasing exports, we are expanding them in a broad manner, ensuring that we remain risk-free at the same time,” he added.Passenger vehicle major Tata Motors reported a 34 per cent increase in passenger vehicle consignments to 62,329 units last month compared to 46,435 units in the same period last year.Mahindra & Mahindra said domestic car sales rose 19 per cent to 60,018 units in February against 50,420 units a year earlier.M&M’s Automotive Division CEO Nalinikanth Gulagunta said February’s performance reflects “strong demand from customers across the portfolio”.Hyundai Motor India reported a 10 per cent year-on-year rise in domestic sales to 52,407 units last month.“We have started 2026 well, achieving our highest ever monthly sales in January, and the momentum continues in February,” said the company’s Managing Director and CEO Tarun Garg.Domestic sales rose 16 percent to 30,737 units compared to 26,414 units in February 2025, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said.Demand has remained strong across the company’s product range, said Sabari Manohar, executive vice president of used car service sales.Kia India reported a 10 per cent increase in sales to 27,610 units last month against 25,026 units in February 2025.In the two-wheeler segment, Hero MotoCorp reported a 45 per cent year-on-year increase in consignments to dealers at 5,16,968 units compared to 3,57,296 units.