Car Sales September 2026: Passenger Vehicle Wholesales Up 21.4% to 4.63 Lakh; Maruti Up 36.9%, Kia Posts Record
Domestic passenger vehicle (PV) wholesales rose 21.4% to 4,63,081 units in September 2026 from 3,81,435 a year earlier, Business Standard reported on 1 October, with a weak base doing much of the work. Company-wise car sales September 2026 figures show Maruti Suzuki’s domestic PV wholesales up 36.9% at 1,81,838 units, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra up in the mid-teens, and Kia India posting its highest monthly total since entering India.
These are wholesale numbers, meaning vehicles dispatched from factories to dealers, and not registrations by buyers.
Car sales September 2026 by company
| Carmaker | September 2025 | September 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maruti Suzuki | 1,32,820 | 1,81,838 | +36.9% |
| Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles | Not given | 68,810 | +15.3% |
| Mahindra & Mahindra | Not given | 64,092 | +14% |
| Hyundai Motor India | 51,547 | 57,166 | +10.9% |
| Kia India | 22,700 | 32,017 | +41% |
| Toyota Kirloskar Motor | 27,089 | 25,027 | −7.6% |
| Industry (domestic PV wholesales) | 3,81,435 | 4,63,081 | +21.4% |
Source: Business Standard, 1 October 2026. Carmakers file their monthly sales with the stock exchanges, and the filings appear on BSE’s corporate announcements page. Industry-wide figures from the manufacturers’ body SIAM are published separately on its website.
Why was the base so low?
The GST rate changes for cars were announced on 3 September 2025 and took effect on 22 September 2025. The rate on small cars fell to 18% from 28%, and larger cars moved to a flat 40% with the compensation cess removed. Buyers waited for the lower rates, so sales were muted for the first three weeks of September 2025 and picked up only after 22 September, when Navratri began, Business Standard noted. September 2026 had no such pause, which flatters the year-on-year comparison in the car sales September 2026 data.
Maruti sales September 2026: why reports show different numbers
Maruti’s 1,81,838 figure counts passenger vehicles sold in India. Adding 3,414 Super Carry light commercial vehicles gives a domestic total of 1,85,252, the number several outlets used, and adding 6,542 units sold to other carmakers gives 1,91,794, CNBC-TV18 reported. With 44,219 exports, total Maruti sales were 2,36,013. The gap between reports is a matter of which categories are counted. We use the PV-only figure, which matches Business Standard’s industry total.
Within that, Maruti sales September 2026 show utility vehicles at 78,911 units, up from 48,695, and small and mid-size cars at 91,887, up from 74,090, according to CNBC-TV18. Partho Banerjee, Maruti’s senior executive officer for marketing and sales, told Business Standard that CNG models now make up 41% of the company’s sales and that he still expects the PV industry to reach 5.3 to 5.4 million units in 2026-27, with growth slowing in the second half because of a higher base. He listed three tailwinds: the GST cut, repo rate cuts of up to 100 basis points, and the income-tax relief for people earning up to ₹12 lakh a year.
Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles said July–September was its best quarter, at 2,01,723 units. Its electric vehicles crossed 47,000 units in the quarter, up 90%, and EVs made up 23% of its sales, against about 8% for the industry.
Two-wheeler sales in September
Most large two-wheeler makers also reported growth, The Financial Express reported, with Bajaj Auto the exception.
| Company | September 2025 | September 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hero MotoCorp | 6,47,582 | 7,39,018 | +14.1% |
| Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India | 5,05,693 | 6,36,768 | +26% |
| TVS Motor | 4,13,279 | 4,82,073 | +17% |
| Royal Enfield | 1,13,573 | 1,21,326 | +7% |
| Suzuki Motorcycle India | 1,05,886 | 1,08,806 | +3% |
| Bajaj Auto (two-wheelers) | About 2.73 lakh | About 2.40 lakh | −12% |
Domestic dispatches. Hero’s figure includes 28,798 Vida electric scooters, and its scooter volumes crossed one lakh units for the month. Bajaj’s two-wheeler sales were 18.8% higher than in August, The Financial Express said. Among the six, only Honda grew faster than the 21.4% rise in PV wholesales.
Festive season and car loans
Alongside their car sales September 2026 numbers, carmakers quoted by Business Standard, including Tata Motors and Hyundai, said they expect strong festive demand, with Dhanteras falling on 6 November this year; our guide to the Dhanteras 2026 calendar has the dates. Buyers who plan to borrow can compare lenders in our car loan interest rate guide. Loan rates could move after the RBI’s policy decision on 7 October; our explainer on how an RBI rate hike affects EMIs shows the arithmetic for floating-rate borrowers. September’s GST collection figures, released the same day, showed domestic revenue up 10.1%.
FAQ: car sales September 2026
How many passenger vehicles were sold in September 2026?
Domestic wholesales were 4,63,081 units, up 21.4%, according to Business Standard.
Is Maruti’s September figure 1,81,838 or 1,85,252?
Both are correct. The first is passenger vehicles only; the second adds Super Carry light commercial vehicles.
Which carmaker posted a decline?
Toyota Kirloskar Motor, down 7.6% to 25,027 units.
Disclaimer: Sales figures are wholesale dispatches reported by the companies and compiled by Business Standard, CNBC-TV18 and The Financial Express on 1 October 2026; official SIAM data may differ. This report is for information only.
