[India’s Vehicle Retail Sales Rise 17.51% YoY in August]

Published: Sep 16, 2026 14:36

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India's overall vehicle retail sales touched 2.42 million units in August 2026, the best-ever August on record, growing 17.51% year-on-year but dropped 6.48% compared to July. The yearly jump mainly happened because last year's sales were low, as buyers had delayed their purchases while waiting for the GST 2.0 rate cut. The monthly dip is just a normal slowdown after July's record numbers, with some festive buying like Ganesh Chaturthi and Onam shifting to September this year.

Within this, Passenger Vehicle (PV) sales stood at 402,398 units, up 16.14% YoY, though down 3.40% MoM. Adding to the story, alternative-fuel vehicles (CNG, hybrid, EV) overtook petrol cars for the first time in India's history, at 41.95% share versus petrol's 40.85%, as buyers increasingly shift away from petrol due to running-cost savings and hesitation around the E20 fuel change.

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