New Delhi, May 11, 2026, 17:37 IST
Tata Motors and electric vehicles stood out in India’s April auto numbers, with the company’s Punch and Nexon SUVs driving a strong passenger-vehicle month while electric scooters and electric cars held much of their recent momentum after the March rush. Tata’s domestic passenger-vehicle sales were reported at 59,000 units in April, up 31% from a year earlier, while electric two-wheeler sales reached 148,740 units.
The timing matters. April is the first month of India’s financial year and often cools after March, when dealers and buyers close year-end purchases. FADA Vice President Sai Giridhar said the broader retail market recorded its “highest-ever April,” while the month-on-month softness was a “post-March seasonal reset” rather than a demand break.
Passenger vehicles — cars, SUVs and vans — also stayed firm at the retail level. JATO Dynamics said India registered about 4.15 lakh passenger vehicles in April, up 11.2% from a year earlier, and Ravi Bhatia, president of JATO Dynamics India, said the lower figure versus March “does not mean demand has weakened.” JATO
For Tata, the mix was narrow but powerful. AutoPunditz said the Punch sold 19,107 units and the Nexon 18,126 units in April, together accounting for more than 63% of Tata’s passenger-vehicle volume. The newly launched Sierra added 7,316 units, though it was down 19% from March, while Tiago, Tigor and Curvv were weaker.
Tata’s own total was a little higher when exports were included. The company reported 59,701 passenger vehicles across domestic and international markets in April, up 31.1% from a year earlier, and 9,150 electric vehicles, up 72.1%. Dispatches are factory shipments to dealers; retail registrations show vehicles sold to customers and registered with transport authorities.
The competitive setting was also clear. AutoPunditz put total April passenger-vehicle dispatches at 441,721 units, up 25% from a year earlier but down 1.3% from March. Maruti Suzuki led with 187,704 units, Tata ranked second, Mahindra followed with 56,331 and Hyundai reported 51,902.
Electric two-wheelers remained the biggest EV volume pool. TVS Motor led the segment with 37,683 units in April, followed by Bajaj Auto at 32,898 and Ather Energy at 27,034, while Ola Electric was the only major maker in Rushlane’s data to show month-on-month growth despite a sharp year-on-year fall. Year-on-year means compared with April 2025; month-on-month means compared with March 2026.
The broader two-wheeler market was not just an EV story. JATO said total two-wheeler registrations were about 1.92 million units in April, up 12.9% from a year earlier and down 2.3% from March. Bhatia called the numbers a “mature and predictable market,” with motorcycles still close to 59% of registrations and electric scooters near 9%. JATO
Electric car sales also stayed high. Team-BHP, citing the Vahan dashboard, said electric car sales rose 64% from a year earlier and slipped 3% from March, with Tata leading at 8,875 units. Mahindra was second at 5,594, ahead of JSW MG Motor at 5,206, while Maruti Suzuki and VinFast both crossed 1,000 units.
The risk is that April’s strength may not move in a straight line through May and June. FADA flagged above-normal heatwave forecasts, West Asia-linked fuel-price uncertainty, some supply constraints and passenger-vehicle inventory of 28–30 days, above its recommended 21-day benchmark.
For now, the April data points to a market where compact SUVs are still doing much of the heavy lifting and EV demand is broadening beyond one category. Tata has the clearest model-level story, but TVS, Bajaj and Ather show that the electric shift is just as sharp on two wheels as it is in cars.
