Car sales shattered all previous records in October 2026 with industry sales estimated to be around 5.25-5.30 lakh, up from 4,60,739 units sold in October 2025. This marks the first time the industry has breached the 5 lakh monthly dispatch milestone. The record volume came despite a high base of October last year when the full impact of GST 2.0 was reflected for the first time.
Market leader Maruti Suzuki (MSIL) set a new record as it sold 2.76 lakh units last month, up 25% y-o-y. While domestic passenger vehicle (PV) sales grew 20% to 2.12 lakh units, exports surged nearly 60% to 49,872 units. Owing to record sales, the carmaker is left with a network stock of just 12 days and has a pending order book of 2.45 lakh units.
For MSIL, small car sales grew 38% year-on-year to 40,646 units. The automaker recorded its highest-ever monthly SUV sales, with volumes reaching 73,058 units. CNG vehicle sales stood at 87,000 units in October 2026, with CNG models accounting for nearly 40% of total sales.
Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales, MSIL said that from January onwards, the company plans to increase production capacity for its CNG vehicles. He added that the existing CNG production capacity remains constrained, limiting its ability to meet customer demand. MSIL is expected to have gained market share of 2% in the domestic car market.
Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles also reported sales in October. Hyundai (HMIL) achieved its highest-ever total monthly sales of 82,299 units (domestic + exports) in October 2026, registering a strong 17.7% YoY growth. The milestone was driven by record domestic sales of 62,799 units (+16.7% YoY) and exports of 19,500 units (+21.1% YoY). Tarun Garg, MD & CEO - HMIL, said, “Strong festive demand, coupled with healthy momentum in both domestic and export markets, helped us set this new sales record. ”
Tata.Cars recorded sales of 75,426 units in the domestic and international markets in October 2026, up 23% year-on-year. In the domestic market, sales surged 21% to 73,894 units, the second-highest dispatches for any carmaker in October 2026.
M&M sold 73338 PVs in the domestic market last month, a growth of 2% and overall, 74904 vehicles, including exports. Velusamy R, President, Automotive Business, M&M, “The festive season, together with a refreshed portfolio, kept demand strong across SUVs, pick-ups and three-wheelers. Our first CNG vehicle, the XUV 3XO ZNG has also seen strong traction with customers.”