Leading automakers post growth in February vehicle sales on sustained demand

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) Leading automakers Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, Mahindra & Mahindra and Hyundai reported an increase in vehicle dispatches to dealers in February, riding on sustained demand in the domestic market.

Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India said its domestic passenger vehicle sales rose to 1,61,000 units last month against 1,60,791 units in February 2025.

Sales of the mini car vertical, comprising Alto and S-Presso, increased slightly to 10,238 units from 10,226 units in the year-ago month.

However, the compact car segment, including Baleno, Celerio, Dzire, Ignis, Swift, and WagonR, witnessed a decline in sales to 66,386 units last month against 72,942 units in February 2025.

On the other hand, sales of utility vehicles, consisting of Brezza, Ertiga, e-Vitara, Fronx, Grand Vitara, Invicto, Jimny, Victoris and XL6, increased to 72,756 units compared to 65,033 units a year ago.

Maruti Suzuki's Senior Executive Officer for Marketing and Sales Partho Banerjee told reporters that the company has been calibrating production to reduce the waiting period uniformly across models.

He noted that the auto major reported record sales of 2.14 lakhs in February, operating at over 100 per cent capacity with a new manufacturing line expected to get operational in April with additional volumes expected from May onwards.

"Domestic wholesales reached an all-time high of 1.64 lakh for the month of February, and retail sales grew by 12 per cent to 1.51 lakh units. Besides, the network stock is low at 12 days, with 7 days in transit," he said.

Banerjee noted that the company's mid-SUV sales have doubled from last year, increasing its market share in the segment from 12.8 per cent to 19 per cent.

Responding to a query on the impact of the ongoing war in the Middle East, Maruti Suzuki Senior Executive Officer Corporate Affairs Rahul Bharti said: "We are closely monitoring the situation. However, our exposure to the Middle East as an export region is not very high. This year it accounts for about 12.5 per cent of our total exports." "In fact, as we export to nearly 100 countries, we have ensured that our portfolio is well diversified and inherently de-risked. It is in times like these that the depth of leadership truly comes through. We are not just increasing exports; we are expanding them in a broad-based manner, ensuring that we remain de-risked at the same time," he added.

Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles reported a 34 per cent rise in passenger vehicle dispatches at 62,329 units last month as against 46,435 units in the year-ago period.

Mahindra & Mahindra said its utility vehicle sales in the domestic market last month increased 19 per cent to 60,018 units compared to 50,420 units in the year-ago period.

M&M CEO, Automotive Division, Nalinikanth Gollagunta, said the February performance reflected "robust customer demand across the portfolio".

Hyundai Motor India said its domestic sales grew 10 per cent year on year to 52,407 units in February.

The company's MD and CEO Tarun Garg said, "We kicked off 2026 on a high note, achieving our highest-ever monthly sales in January, and the momentum continues in February".

Toyota Kirloskar Motor said its domestic sales grew 16 per cent to 30,737 units last month against 26,414 units in February 2025.

The company's Executive Vice President, Sales-Service-Used Car Business, Sabari Manohar, said there was sustained demand across the company's product portfolio.

Automaker Kia India reported a 10 per cent rise in sales to 27,610 units last month compared to 25,026 units sold in February 2025.

In the two-wheeler space, Hero MotoCorp reported 45 per cent year-on-year rise in dispatches to dealers at 5,16,968 units as compared with 3,57,296 units. PTI MSS MR