India Carmakers Post Record October Sales as Maruti Hits 2.76 Lakh

India's carmakers have never shipped as many vehicles in a single month as they did in October. Maruti Suzuki, the country's largest carmaker, reported total dispatches of 276,120 vehicles in October 2026, up 25 percent from 220,894 a year earlier and the highest monthly figure in its history. Tata Motors, Hyundai, Mahindra and Kia also reported record months, the companies said on Sunday, November 1.

The timing did much of the work. Navratri and Dussehra fell in October this year, and buyers took delivery ahead of Diwali on November 8. Dealers had stocked up for the festive weeks, and the dispatch numbers, factory shipments to dealers rather than sales to customers, show how hard the factories ran to fill those yards.

Maruti sets the pace

Maruti's domestic passenger vehicle dispatches rose about 20.5 percent to 212,384, from 176,318 in October 2025. Total domestic sales, including light commercial vehicles, reached 216,789, also a record. Sales to other manufacturers were 9,459 units, and exports jumped 59 percent to 49,872, from 31,304 a year earlier. The previous company record was about 2.43 lakh units, set in May 2026. One lakh is 100,000.

The record lands days after a harder set of numbers. Maruti's profit for the September quarter fell even as quarterly sales set a record, because raw material costs rose sharply. October's volumes help on that front: higher production spreads fixed costs over more vehicles.

The rest of the field

Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles reported 75,426 units, up 23 percent from October last year. Its electric vehicles did the fastest growing: 16,244 EVs sold in October, up 75 percent, about 21.5 percent of Tata's total. Kia reported October wholesales of 33,462 units, up about 13 percent, and called it a record month. Hyundai Motor India and Mahindra and Mahindra also reported record or near-record monthly volumes, helped by the same festive calendar.

Utility vehicles led Maruti's growth, with sales up 26 percent to 97,787 units, while its passenger cars, including the Alto, Swift and WagonR, rose about 18 percent to roughly 1 lakh units.

What the numbers do not say

Dispatches are not registrations. A car shipped to a dealer in late October may be sold in November, or may sit. The test comes with Diwali on November 8 and with the retail registration data for November, which counts vehicles actually bought. If registrations match dispatches, October was a genuine demand record. If they lag, part of the record is sitting in dealer stock, and November will show it.

Key numbers

Maruti total dispatches: 276,120, up 25 percent. Maruti exports: 49,872, up 59 percent. Tata passenger vehicles: 75,426, up 23 percent. Tata EVs: 16,244, up 75 percent. Kia wholesales: 33,462, a record.