Car exports from India recorded steady growth in March 2026, with total shipments reaching 79,694 units, up from 77,456 units in March 2025. This translates to 2.89% YoY growth, highlighting the stable global demand for India-made vehicles despite some sharp declines in select models.
Car exports March 2026 – Maruti dominates
Maruti Suzuki continued its foray into exports and captured several top spots in the list. The Frontier emerged as the top exported car in March 2026 with 7,802 units, registering a marginal growth of 3.28% year-on-year. However, it was the Jimny and S-Presso that remained ahead with strong gains. Jimny exports grew by 63.46% to 6,738 units, while the S-Presso saw a massive growth of 216%, reaching 6,377 units.
Other strong contributors from Maruti include Swift, Dezire and Baleno, although these models saw a marginal decline YoY. New entries like Evitara and Victoris have also started contributing to the export volumes. The Maruti Suzuki Evitara is the brand’s first electric car, which is manufactured in India and exported globally.
Among non-Maruti models, Nissan Magnite ranked fourth with 5,203 units but saw a sharp decline of 40% year-on-year. Similarly, Hyundai Verna exports declined by nearly 40%, indicating weak demand in key overseas markets. Hyundai’s Grand i10 was a bright spot, registering a growth of 35% with exports of over 5,000 units. Meanwhile, Aura and Creta recorded moderate numbers, although Aura saw a slight decline.
Toyota Hayrider registered a healthy growth of 23.89%, reflecting the growing acceptance of hybrid SUVs in export markets. However, the Volkswagen Virtus saw a significant decline of 48.7%, while the Taigun also declined by more than 50%. Honda City maintained steady growth at 14%, but Elevate exports fell by a massive 75.5%, one of the sharpest declines in the list.
Mahindra XUV3XO recorded a solid growth of 33%, indicating better traction for the brand in overseas markets. Interestingly, many entry-level cars saw strong growth. Apart from the S-Presso, models like Celerio (+116%), Alto (+122%) and Hyundai i20 (+106%) registered triple-digit growth.
Export performance as per OEM
Maruti continues to dominate India’s car export sector by a wide margin, shipping 45,786 units in March 2026, registering a strong growth of 39.67% year-on-year. Its broad portfolio and strong presence in emerging markets continue to drive volume growth. In contrast, the second-largest exporter Hyundai saw a decline of 10%, while Nissan’s exports fell sharply by over 31%, mainly hit by lower Magnite shipments. Toyota led the way among major OEMs with a healthy growth of 23.89%, while Kia and Mahindra saw moderate to heavy declines.
Among other brands, Volkswagen and Honda recorded a significant contraction of around 50% year-on-year, reflecting weak global demand for their India-made models. On the positive side, Tata Motors recorded the highest growth of 204% year-on-year, albeit on a small base. Meanwhile, major players like Citroen, Jeep and Skoda saw a notable decline, reflecting uneven export momentum across brands. Overall, export growth remained modest at 2.89% y-o-y, suggesting a mixed trend with strong gains from select OEMs offsetting declines in others.
