Production of passenger vehicles (PVs), three-wheelers, two-wheelers and quadricycles rose 26 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to 2.92 million units in April. Domestic dispatches increased 27.9 per cent to 2.31 million units. Exports grew 38 per cent to 628,128 units.
PV dispatches rose 25.4 per cent to a record 437,312 units in April, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Two-wheeler dispatches increased 28.4 per cent to 1.87 million units, while three-wheeler sales rose 32.8 per cent to 65,668 units.
“Continuing with the momentum of the second half of FY26, the first month of FY27 posted high double-digit growth in PVs, three-wheelers and two-wheelers,” SIAM Director General Rajesh Menon said.
April data signalled improved production planning and inventory normalisation, particularly for PVs, where domestic dispatches outpaced output following a slower FY26 base. According to SIAM’s charts, which exclude Tata Motors from the segment-wise break-up, PV production rose 12.8 per cent Y-o-Y, while domestic dispatches increased 24.6 per cent.
Data further showed a strong recovery in export demand, led by two- and three-wheelers. Total two-wheeler exports rose 38.3 per cent Y-o-Y to 509,199 units, while three-wheeler exports surged 84 per cent to 50,655 units. PV exports, by comparison, rose a relatively moderate 13.3 per cent to 67,308 units.
Maruti Suzuki’s domestic PV sales rose to 187,704 units in April from 138,704 the previous year. Mahindra & Mahindra’s PV sales increased to 56,331 units from 52,330. Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s domestic sales rose to 30,156 units from 24,789 units.
Two-wheeler makers also reported strong momentum. Hero MotoCorp’s domestic dispatches nearly doubled Y-o-Y to 532,433 units from 288,524, while Royal Enfield crossed the monthly mark of 100,000, with domestic motorcycle sales of 104,129 units in April.
Export-oriented manufacturers saw particularly strong gains. Bajaj Auto’s motorcycle exports rose sharply to 229,326 units in April from 129,322 units a year earlier, reflecting improving demand in overseas markets.
SIAM, however, cautioned that rising commodity prices linked to disruptions in West Asia could pose challenges, though underlying demand conditions remain healthy.
Utility vehicles, premium motorcycles and electric scooters continued to power India’s automobile demand in April, highlighting the industry’s premiumisation trend even as mass-market categories posted strong growth.
Utility vehicle domestic dispatches rose 21.5 per cent Y-o-Y to 244,280 units in April, accounting for nearly two-thirds of PV volumes in Siam’s detailed charts. Compact and mid-sized SUVs remained the key growth drivers, led by Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hyundai and Kia.
Maruti Suzuki’s utility vehicle sales rose to 77,892 units from 59,022 units a year earlier, while Mahindra dispatched 56,331 utility vehicles during the month. Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s utility vehicle sales increased to 26,597 units from 20,449 units.
Premium motorcycles also maintained strong momentum. Royal Enfield’s domestic motorcycle dispatches crossed the 100,000 mark at 104,129 units in April, compared with 76,002 units a year earlier. Higher engine-capacity motorcycle segments above 200cc also recorded strong growth across brands including Bajaj Auto, TVS Motor and Hero MotoCorp.
Electric scooters continued to scale up rapidly. Domestic sales in the higher-powered electric scooter category rose to 112,176 units from 68,439 units a year earlier, led by Ather Energy, TVS Motor, Bajaj Auto and Hero MotoCorp.
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