Passenger vehicle (PV) wholesales in India rose to a record 45.5 lakh units in calendar year 2025, marking a growth of nearly 6 per cent, as policy tailwinds in the second half helped the industry overcome a sluggish start, according to industry estimates, PTI reported.The industry surpassed its previous peak of 43.05 lakh units in 2024, aided by record annual sales from market leader Maruti Suzuki India, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, and Skoda Auto India, data showed.A notable shift in the competitive landscape saw Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles leapfrog Hyundai Motor India to emerge as the second- and third-largest PV makers by volume, pushing the South Korean automaker to fourth place.SUVs continued to dominate demand, accounting for 55.8 per cent of total PV sales in 2025, up from 53.8 per cent in 2024, even as small cars showed early signs of recovery following GST reforms.Maruti Suzuki India posted wholesales of 18.44 lakh units in 2025, surpassing its earlier record of 17.90 lakh units in 2024, the company said.“For the industry, 2025 total sales is estimated at 45.5 lakh units as compared to 43.05 lakh units clocked in 2024,” Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India, told reporters.Explaining the turnaround, Banerjee said, “We need to split 2025 into two halves — pre GST and the post GST…it is a combination of these things which has really pepped up the market from the month of October onwards.” He added that GST reduction, income tax relief on income up to Rs 12 lakh and repo rate cuts supported demand.At Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, Managing Director and CEO Shailesh Chandra said the year marked steady progress for the industry.“The momentum sparked by the roll-out of GST 2.0 in late Q2 FY26 gained further traction in Q3, resulting in several new records…it was the fifth consecutive year of record-breaking annual sales, with 5,87,218 units sold, including the highest-ever EV volumes of 81,125 units in a calendar year,” he said.Mahindra & Mahindra also closed the year on a strong note.“The calendar year 2025 ended on a positive note, with Mahindra clocking its highest-ever volumes in both SUVs and LCVs (over 3.5T) segments, a significant milestone for the company,” Nalinikanth Gollagunta, CEO, Automotive Division, said.Hyundai Motor India reported 6.6 per cent year-on-year growth in total sales at 58,702 units in December 2025, including domestic sales of 42,416 units and exports of 16,286 units.“Driven by the positive momentum from GST 2.0 reforms, Hyundai Motor India recorded a robust 6.6 per cent year-on-year growth in total monthly sales for December 2025,” Tarun Garg, Managing Director and CEO, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, said.Toyota Kirloskar Motor posted its highest-ever calendar year sales of 3,88,801 units in 2025, up 19 per cent from 2024.“2025 has been a meaningful year for Toyota, marked by stronger customer acceptance across its products and services,” Varinder Wadhwa, Vice-President, Sales-Service-Used Car Business and Profit Enhancement, said, attributing the performance to GST reforms and product enhancements.Skoda Auto India reported its best-ever sales of 72,665 units in 2025, more than doubling from 2024, while JSW MG Motor India posted 19 per cent year-on-year growth at 70,554 units.Looking ahead, Banerjee said the outlook remains positive.“In times to come, my take is that the tailwinds which are there right now will continue, and if in the next year the monsoon is good, there is no reason why the auto industry should not be growing at a rate of 6–7 per cent growth,” he said.
