Commercial vehicle sales pick up in August before festival season

Domestic dispatches rise 20-43% across major CV makers; M&HCVs lead growth as industry heads into festive period with stronger demand momentum

Commercial vehicle (CV) sales picked up in August, with major manufacturers reporting double-digit growth as demand from freight movement, infrastructure work and fleet replacement helped them ahead of the festival season.

 

The year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth partly reflects a favourable base — CV dispatches were subdued in August last year amid uncertainty about goods and services tax (GST) changes. However, sequential sales and retail registrations show underlying demand strength.

 

Ashok Leyland sold 19,438 CVs in India in August — up 43 per cent from 13,622 units in the same month last year. Tata Motors’ domestic CV volumes increased 33 per cent to 36,619 units from 27,481 units. Mahindra’s domestic sales of sub-3.5-tonne CVs rose 22 per cent to 27,415 units.

  

The company’s trucks and buses unit — comprising the Mahindra Truck & Bus Division and SML Mahindra — reported a separate 47 per cent rise in overall sales (including exports) to 2,495 units, up from 1,701 units a year earlier.

 

VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV), a joint venture of Volvo Group and Eicher Motors, saw domestic CV sales increasing 19.8 per cent to 7,584 units.

 

Importantly, three of the four major manufacturers also posted sequential growth. Domestic volumes at Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland rose by nearly 8 per cent each over July, while Mahindra’s sub-3.5-tonne CV segment gained nearly 9 per cent. VECV’s domestic sales remained broadly flat.

 

Retail demand shows that the wholesale growth was not entirely a function of the low base. CV registrations on the VAHAN portal increased 22 per cent Y-o-Y in August, according to InCred Research.

 

The domestic CV segment exhibited robust demand during August, driven by “improving fleet operator sentiment and a GST-led demand stimulus,” said Arun Agarwal, vice-president, fundamental research at Kotak Securities.

 

“Wholesale volumes registered a growth of over 20 per cent Y-o-Y across both the medium and heavy commercial vehicle (M&HCV) and light commercial vehicle (LCV) categories,” Agarwal said.

 

Heavy trucks in top gear

 

The industry’s growth was particularly visible in sales of heavier vehicles.

 

Ashok Leyland’s domestic M&HCV sales jumped 55 per cent to 12,408 units from 7,991 units a year earlier. Within this category, truck sales surged 60 per cent to 10,285 units, while bus sales rose 36 per cent to 2,123 units. LCV volumes rose 25 per cent to 7,030 units.

 

Tata Motors’ domestic medium, heavy and intermediate commercial vehicle sales rose 31 per cent to 17,531 units from 13,405 units.

 

Within Tata Motors’ broader domestic portfolio, HCV truck volumes increased 42 per cent, intermediate and light-medium CV trucks grew 20 per cent, passenger carriers 31 per cent, and small commercial vehicle cargo and pickups 34 per cent.

 

LCVs typically have a gross vehicle weight of up to 7.5 tonnes, intermediate CVs 7.5-12 tonnes, medium CVs 12-16 tonnes, and heavy CVs above 16 tonnes.

 

Mahindra’s heavier CV segment showed a similar trend. Cargo vehicle sales in its truck and bus business surged 55 per cent, while passenger carrier volumes rose 35 per cent, indicating that August’s strength extended beyond the LCV market.

 

“The truck and bus segment continues to be supported by higher infrastructure spending, rising freight demand, and replacement demand, while facing challenges on rising input and fuel costs,” said Vinod Sahay, executive chairman, SML, and president, aerospace, advanced technologies, trucks, buses & CE at Mahindra & Mahindra.

 

Sahay also highlighted the favourable base.

 

“Volumes were muted in August 2025 due to anticipated GST changes, and hence the growth this month also reflects the low base of last year,” he said.

 

Girish Wagh, managing director and chief executive officer of Tata Motors, had said while announcing the company’s June-quarter results: “Looking ahead, supported by a robust product portfolio, continued innovation, and a relentless focus on delivering better customer value, we remain confident of strengthening our market leadership and delivering sustainable, profitable growth in the following quarters.”

 

InCred Research expects industrial production and core-sector growth to support CV demand, while citing risks from the West Asia crisis, fuel prices and input-cost inflation.

 

Agarwal also highlighted a divergence between domestic and export markets. While domestic auto retail volumes jumped over 15 per cent Y-o-Y in August, exports were inconsistent as manufacturers with greater exposure to West Asian markets faced disruption from the conflict in Iran.

 

For CV manufacturers, the domestic market enters the festival season with stronger momentum than last year.

 

OEM	Aug-26	Aug-25	YoY
Tata Motors CV — domestic	36,619	27,481	33%
Ashok Leyland — domestic	19,438	13,622	43%
Mahindra CV <3.5T — domestic	27,415	22,427	22%
Mahindra Trucks & Buses (MTBD + SML)	2,495	1,701	47%
VECV/Eicher — domestic	7,584	6,331	20%

Source: Companies