Bumper sales of cars in March, huge jump of 16% in wholesale sales of passenger vehicles; Dominance of these companies

Passenger Vehicle Wholesale Sales March 2026: Wholesale sales of passenger vehicles in India have increased by 16 percent on an annual basis to 4.4 lakh units and have seen a growth of 6 percent on a quarterly basis. The reason for this is believed to be strong domestic demand. This information was given in the report released on Monday. The ICRA report said wholesale automobile sales in India are expected to grow by 4-6 per cent in FY27. It will benefit from GST cut and launch of new models.

Retail sales in March recorded a strong growth of 21 per cent year-on-year, driven by steadily increasing demand from the launch of new models and the continued positive impact of the revised Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates.

Data after change in GST rates

Following the change in GST rates, wholesale sales declined by 0.2 per cent in the first half of FY26, while there was a strong growth of 17 per cent in the second half. Retail sales also increased by 11 percent and reached an all-time high of 46 lakh units. The report cited data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), according to which, due to strong retail sales, inventory levels have declined to about 28 days by March 2026, compared to 52-53 days at the end of March 2025 and 60 days in September 2025.

Higher share of UV vehicles in sales

Utility vehicles (UVs) accounted for 68 percent of total passenger vehicles (PV) sales in FY2026. Although UV vehicles continue to account for the largest share in sales, there has been a slight increase in sales in the mini, compact and super-compact segments following the GST rate cut. The UV segment will continue to be the main driver of sales, although demand for passenger cars is also expected to increase.

A good growth of 18 percent was recorded in exports in the financial year 2026, although this growth was slightly slower than expected. The report said that this increase indicates increase in supply by Indian manufacturers.

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in India in March 2026 Maruti Suzuki (Maruti Suzuki) was the largest car selling company, selling more than 1.70 lakh vehicles. At the same time, if we talk about individual models, Maruti Suzuki Dzire was the best-selling car in the country with sales of 21,224 units, leaving behind the dominance of SUVs.