India auto wholesales hit record August high in 2026, PV sales jump 36.5 pc

New Delhi: India’s automobile wholesales across passenger vehicles (PVs), three-wheelers (3Ws) and two-wheelers (2Ws) reached their highest-ever levels for the month of August in 2026, aided by a favourable demand environment and a lower base in the year-ago period, according to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) on Tuesday.

Passenger vehicle sales stood at 4,39,309 units in August 2026, registering a strong 36.5 per cent year-on-year growth. Three-wheeler wholesales increased 22.8 per cent to 93,764 units, while two-wheeler sales rose 10.5 per cent to 20,34,698 units during the month.

“India’s automobile industry is passing through a robust growth phase. The growth in August 2026 has been supported by a lower base from the previous year,” said Rajesh Menon, Director General, SIAM.

Menon said the broader demand environment remained fundamentally healthy, with strong consumer confidence, resilient rural markets and improving financing conditions supporting automobile demand across categories.

He also pointed to the accelerating adoption of alternative drivetrains as another factor contributing to a favourable ecosystem for the industry.

“Festive demand is also expected to provide an additional boost, resulting in healthy Q2 numbers,” Menon added.

According to SIAM data, total production of passenger vehicles, three-wheelers, two-wheelers and quadricycles stood at 31,57,822 units in August 2026.

Meanwhile, in the previous month, India's automobile industry recorded its strongest-ever July sales performance with passenger vehicle, two-wheeler and three-wheeler dispatches posting robust double-digit growth.

According to the SIAM data, domestic passenger vehicle dispatches from manufacturers to dealers rose 34.3 per cent year-on-year to 4,57,810 units in July compared with 3,40,772 units in the same month last year.

Meanwhile, two-wheeler sales increased 22.6 per cent to 19,23,483 units last month from 15,69,120 units a year earlier, while three-wheeler dispatches also registered strong growth and rose 33.4 per cent to 92,560 units against 69,403 units in July 2025.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

IANS

[email protected]