Car wholesales (company to dealer) in January 2026 saw Maruti Suzuki retain its clear market leadership with sales of 1,74,529 units
We have seen many new arrivals and facelifts over the past several months, which have all been well received in the Indian market and have had a positive impact on sales in the first month of the new calendar year. Buyer sentiments have also remained affirmative as January 2026 opened with a 12.7% rise in car sales, at 4,52,589 units, up from 4,01,538 units sold in January 2025. On a month-on-month basis, car sales also increased by 12%, reaching 4,04,231 units sold in December 2025. These figures indicate dispatches, which are wholesale shipments from OEM to company dealerships.
Car Sales Jan 26 – Maruti Suzuki Leads
Maruti Suzuki continued its leadership position with 1,74,529 units sold last month. This was however a marginal 0.5% growth from 1,73,599 units of January 2025 while month-on-month sales fell by 2.3% as compared to 1,78,646 units of December 2025. Tata Motors managed to surpass sales of Mahindra to reclaim the second spot on this list with 70,222 units sold, a clear 6,712 unit volume gain over the latter. Tata Motors sales were up 46.1% from 48,075 units in January 2025 delivering the highest YoY growth rate among leading OEMs.
In third spot was Mahindra with a 25.4% year-on-year rise to 63,510 units while month-on-month also showed up a 24.7% increase from 50,946 units boosted by increased demand for its Scorpio/N. Hyundai too has seen positive growth in January 2026 with a 9.5% YoY and 39.4% MoM growth to 59,107 units. These sales were led by both the Creta and Venue SUVs.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor has witnessed a 17% improvement in its sales in January 2026 at 30,630 units from 26,178 units in January 2025 while its sales dipped by 10.3% from 34,159 units in December 2025. The new Seltos has helped Kia to register wholesales at 27,603 units, a 10.3% rise over 25,025 units while MoM sales were also higher by 47.9% when compared to 18,659 units of December 2025.
Car Brands With Under 10k Sales
Lower down the sales order were automakers with sub 10,000 unit sales. Honda sales stood at 6,193 units with a 1.5% YoY growth and 6.6% rise in its MoM sales. Skoda Auto sales too ended positively both on a YoY and MoM basis at 5,739 units while MG Motor sales, while it increased by 8.7% YoY to 4,843 units, saw a deep decline by 25.5% from 6,500 units sold in December 2025.
Renault has posted positive performance with 3,715 units sold last month, growing 33.6% YoY while MoM sales slipped by 3.4%. Volkswagen has seen sales decline sharply in January 2026 to 2,710 units. This was a 19% YoY and 36.3% MoM degrowth. Nissan, on the other hand, reported stronger sales at 2,502 units marking a 4.1% YoY and 31.5% MoM rise. Citroen has seen the highest YoY growth at 125.1% to 1,058 units from 470 units. However, MoM sales slipped by 11.1%. Jeep sales fell to 228 units registering both YoY and MoM de-growth.
Maruti Market Share Down To 38%
January 2026 Car OEM market share data highlights a gradual but clear shift in India’s passenger vehicle landscape. Maruti Suzuki continues to dominate with a commanding 38.56% share, but the YoY drop of 4.67 percentage points indicates increasing pressure from rivals and a more fragmented market than a year ago.
Tata Motors emerged as one of the biggest gainers, strengthening its No. 2 position with a sharp 3.54 percentage point rise to 15.52%, reflecting strong traction for its SUV and EV portfolio. Mahindra also consolidated its growth trajectory, expanding its share by 1.42 percentage points to 14.03%, driven largely by sustained demand for its SUVs.
Hyundai remained relatively stable at 13.06%, with only a marginal dip, suggesting steady volumes despite intensifying competition. Toyota showed incremental improvement, inching up to 6.77%, aided by consistent demand for its SUV and MPV range. Kia, Honda, MG and VW, however, saw minor YoY declines, indicating flat growth or selective pressure in their respective segments.
Among smaller players, Skoda and Renault registered modest gains, while Citroen, though still at a low base, doubled its market share YoY, highlighting gradual expansion. Overall, the data underlines a market where leadership remains intact, but growth is increasingly being captured by Tata and Mahindra, signalling a continued shift towards SUVs and electrified models.
