Domestic PV wholesales rose by 4.4% to around 353,000 units in April

Domestic passenger vehicle (PV) wholesales by Indian automakers rose 4.4 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to around 353,000 units in April, driven by robust SUV sales and sustained rural demand, industry sources told Business Standard.

 

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) emerged as the second-largest carmaker in terms of domestic PV wholesales in the month, overtaking Hyundai and Tata Motors, which had ranked ahead of it in March.

 

M&M sold 52,330 units in the domestic market during April, marking a robust 27.6 per cent Y-o-Y growth.

 

Veejay Nakra, president of the Automotive Division at M&M, said the strong performance in April was driven by the "strong momentum" carried over from last year. M&M’s portfolio consists exclusively of SUVs.

 

Hyundai Motor India’s (HMIL’s) domestic PV wholesales declined 11.6 per cent Y-o-Y to 44,374 units in the month under review. Tata Motors also saw a drop, with domestic PV wholesales falling 5.6 per cent Y-o-Y to 45,199 units during the month.

 

Tarun Garg, chief operating officer (COO), HMIL, said the domestic market "continues to face headwinds on account of various macro-economic factors" and the company continues to strongly focus on exports. This has resulted in a robust 21.5 per cent Y-o-Y growth in export volumes to 16,400 units in April, he noted.

 

"Overall, we remain dedicated to enhancing value for our customers as we gear up to commence operations at our new plant at Talegaon in the fourth quarter of this calendar year (Q4CY25),” he added.

 

The domestic wholesales of Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL), India's largest carmaker, increased by just 0.5 per cent Y-o-Y to 138,704 units in April. Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer, Marketing and Sales, MSIL, said that despite a challenging market environment and no new model launches, the company managed to "maintain" its sales performance in April.

 

Like M&M, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) also saw a sizable jump in its April sales. Domestic sales of TKM stood at 24,833 units, recording a 32.8 per cent Y-o-Y growth. TKM stated that it was able to sustain its growth momentum despite a maintenance shutdown between April 21 and 25, undertaken for the upkeep of machinery and equipment to maintain operational efficiency, productivity, and safety. Its SUVs such as Urban Cruiser Hyryder are popular in the Indian market.

 

The domestic wholesales of Kia India increased by 18.3 per cent Y-o-Y to 23,623 units in April.

 

Hardeep Singh Brar, head of Sales and Marketing at Kia India, said: "We are pleased by the strong start to 2025, underscored by the enduring success of the Sonet and the positive market response for the new Syros. This performance reaffirms the growing trust our customers place in Kia’s product excellence and brand promise."

 

Like M&M, Kia just sells SUVs in the Indian market.