Tata Motors ranked second in car sales in September 2025, as per the licence registration data on the Vahan portal. With 40,594 units registered, the automaker edged ahead of rivals Mahindra and Hyundai. Mahindra claimed the third spot with 37,015 units, followed by Hyundai with 35,443 units. Maruti Suzuki continues to retain the title of India’s top-selling car brand.
Tata sees record monthly retail sales; Mahindra and Hyundai follow closely
As per retail numbers shared by carmakers, Maruti Suzuki stood at number one with 1,32,820 units sold in September 2025. Tata achieved its highest-ever monthly retail sales of 60,907 units, a 47 percent year-on-year (YoY) growth, and regained the second position, which it last held in March this year. The Nexon compact SUV was its top-selling model, clocking over 22,500 units. Tata’s EV sales, too, hit a record high of 9,191 units, jumping 96 percent YoY. Its CNG car sales of 17,800 units were also the highest so far, a 105 percent surge.
Models like the Punch micro SUV saw strong momentum. Tata claims to have received a record number of monthly bookings in September 2025, as the recent price cuts enabled by GST 2.0 resulted in double the bookings in the latter half of the month.
Mahindra, too, reports its strongest month in September 2025
Mahindra also reported its highest-ever monthly sales of 56,233 units in September 2025, a 10 percent YoY growth from 51,602 units a year ago. In comparison to August 2025’s 39,399 units, sales increased 42 percent. In a press release, the brand stated that there has been a “robust growth” in dealer-reported retail sales, with numbers for SUVs soaring 60 percent in the first nine days of Navratri in 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
Hyundai posts highest-ever SUV sales growth, with Creta taking the lead
Hyundai’s retail sales inched up 0.9 percent from a year ago to 51,547 units but surged 17 percent from 44,001 units in August 2025, when it came in second. The Creta midsize SUV saw its best-ever monthly sales of 18,861 units, while the Venue compact SUV posted 11,484 units, its highest in 20 months.
The intense fight for the No. 2 spot continues
The previous months have seen intense competition among these carmakers for the second spot. Hyundai held that place for over a decade until 2024, but the demand for homegrown brands like Tata and Mahindra, with their SUV onslaught, has brought them more sales in recent times. Most brands faced a slump in August as customers delayed their car-buying plans in anticipation of the GST-led price cuts. And once the brands lowered the prices, the sales numbers jumped in the latter half of September 2025.
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Viraaj Bhatnagar
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