India's automobile industry recorded its strongest-ever October in 2026, with passenger vehicle dispatches crossing the 5 lakh mark in a single month for the first time, data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) on Friday showed, news agency ANI reported.

Source: ANI

Passenger vehicle sales rose 12.4 per cent year on year to 5,19,060 units, against 4,61,614 units in October 2025. The figures are wholesale dispatches from factories to dealers, not retail sales to customers, and the headline total includes Tata Motors' domestic numbers while excluding BMW, Mercedes-Benz, JLR and Volvo Auto, whose data is not available to SIAM.

5,19,060Passenger vehicle dispatches, Oct 2026 (+12.4%)
25,77,810Two-wheeler sales, Oct 2026 (+16.1%)
10,96,756Scooter sales, Oct 2026 (+31.6%)
36,18,753Total vehicle production, Oct 2026 (+28.64%)

Two-wheeler sales increased 16.1 per cent to 25,77,810 units from 22.20 lakh units a year earlier, with scooters the standout category, surging 31.6 per cent to 10,96,756 units. Total automobile production across passenger vehicles, three-wheelers, two-wheelers and quadricycles rose 28.64 per cent to 36,18,753 units, and passenger vehicle exports grew 21.79 per cent to 83,716 units, The Hindu BusinessLine reported.

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine

"The passenger vehicle segment achieved its strongest-ever October performance, crossing the significant milestone of 5 lakh units in monthly sales," SIAM Director General Rajesh Menon said, adding that the industry continues to witness healthy demand momentum across urban and rural markets.

Total vehicle sales across categories reached 3.13 million units in October, up 15.7 per cent on year, Informist reported, citing the SIAM data. The record month came in a festive season in which Diwali fell on November 8 this year, and follows the GST rate rationalisation of September 2025, which cut rates on small cars from 28 per cent to 18 per cent.

Source: Informist Media