Retail car sales of Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata Motors fall in May

Retail sales of passenger vehicles tumbled in May as the car market remained subdued amid the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd ’s retail car sales fell 3.35% to 1.17 lakh units in May 2025 compared with 1.20 lakh units in the same month last year, according to data sourced from the government’s VAHAN portal.

South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor India ’s retail sales declined 14.45% year-on-year to 38,026 units in May 2025, compared with 44,456 units in May 2024.

Retail sales of Tata Motors declined 7% year-on-year to 38,461 units in May 2025 compared with 41,550 units in May 2024.

The sole outlier among the top four carmakers was Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), which witnessed a 25% jump in retail sales from 33,024 units in May last year to 41,332 units in May 2025.

Retail sales of Toyota Kirloskar Motor , which has become the fifth largest car maker in India thanks to its partnership with Maruti Suzuki, rose 20% from 18,208 units in May 2024 to 21,964 units for May 2025.

Kia India saw a nearly 11% decline in retail sales from 18,759 units in May 2024 to 16,727 units last month.

Retail sales of the passenger vehicle industry have de-grown almost 4% in May and Maruti Suzuki’s numbers are in line with industry, said Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki, at a media conference call.

The India-Pakistan conflict following Operation Sindoor affected domestic sales in the border states of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat, which together account for 22% of Maruti Suzuki’s total sales. Maruti Suzuki enjoys almost 55% market share in these stated, he added. “I am sure customers will come back and buy the vehicles.”

The head of sales and marketing at the carmaker pointed out the need to increase small cars sales to further grow the industry. “Till the time small car market starts growing, and people upgrade from two-wheelers to four wheelers, I think this problem (de-growth) will be there. We are also growing in the SUV segment. But that doesn’t make any difference as the volume pie remains the same,” he said.

Retail sales of electric vehicles also remained muted. Tata Motors’ electric vehicle sales declined 15% year-on-year to 4,316 units compared with 5,083 units in May 2024, dragging down its EV market share to 35%. JSW MG Motor India accounted for 30% EV market share in May as sales grew 159% year-on-year to 3,737 units. Mahindra & Mahindra’s electric vehicle sales jumped fourfold from 564 units in May 2024 to 2,605 units in May 2025, taking M&M's EV market share to 21%. Hyundai Motor India, which launched the Creta EV in January 2025, sold a mere 601 EVs in May, clocking 4.9% market share.