Mahindra beats Tata Motors and Hyundai, climbs to No 2 in FY26 sales

With the financial year coming to a close, automakers have reported their respective sales numbers. Maruti Suzuki remains in the number one spot, and it is Mahindra that has seen a big jump — a 20 per cent YoY growth has propelled them to the second spot. Tata Motors is not too far behind in third place, while Hyundai brings up fourth.

Tata Motors is at No 3 behind Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki in sales in FY26

Maruti Suzuki’s dominance isn’t hard to understand. A broad portfolio with all sorts of body styles, and drivetrain options including CNG has allowed them to keep well ahead of the competition. Total units sold in FY26 stand at 24,22,713 units in FY2026, which is 8 per cent more than the 22,34,266 units they shifted in FY2025. The new GST 2.0 rules had a big impact on sales, while well positioned products like the Victoris also brought in good numbers.

Maruti Suzuki stays at No 1 in sales for FY26

Mahindra’s growth has been the highest this year — 20 per cent over last year. Total units sold in FY26 stand at 660276. Over the last year, Mahindra has been quite aggressive. The Scorpio and Scorpio Classic remain best-sellers, the Thar with its various body styles (and relatively affordable RWD variants) do well, while the recently launched 7XO also posted good numbers. The BEVs add to the pie but aren’t a significant chunk of it yet. However, the SUV strategy has worked and despite its SUVs having a higher-than-average asking price, the value proposition is often unquestionable and has worked in their favour.

Mahindra has had the highest growth this year with a 20 per cent increase over last year

Tata Motors has now been overtaken, having slightly slower growth at 14 per cent. They did a total of 641,587 units including EVs and exports. The Nexon and Punch rake in the numbers, while a diversified portfolio including smaller cars and larger SUVs keeps it reinforced. However a strong Q4 FY26 shows signs of momentum for the rest of this calendar year.

Tata Motors diverse portfolio with smaller cars and larger SUVs brings in consistent sales

Hyundai has had a difficult year. Total sales stand at 5,84,906 and sales have declined by 2.3 per cent. The Creta still holds the fort and is due a generational update now, similar to what the Seltos has received. Compact SUVs like the Exter and Venue continue to pull their weight. That said, despite a highly diversified portfolio, the Koreans haven’t managed to out do the Tata-Mahindra push. Hyundai’s exports remain a strength though, it continues to be the biggest exporter of cars from India, shipping 1,63,386 over the last financial year.

Creta still holds its place at the front of Hyundai's portfolio in India

As things stand, Mahindra and Tata are both neck in neck. Mahindra’s strong performance over the last year could be threatened by Tata’s strong Q4 performance — it outsold Mahindra by nearly 15,000 units. The Sierra joining the Nexon and Punch should put wind under Tata’s wings and it could once again overtake Mahindra to the second spot. Meanwhile, Hyundai will have to dig deep to climb back to the second spot on the list.