Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest passenger vehicle manufacturer, is seeing retail sales growth along with robust export performance.

The company is seeing rising traction across its product portfolio, including demand for hatchbacks, SUVs and CNG models, even as it operates at nearly full capacity across plants.

For February, the company clocked total sales of 214,000 units, marking its highest-ever monthly performance across domestic and export markets. Overall wholesales for the month stood at an all-time high of 264,000 units, the highest in the company’s 40-year history. Retail sales touched 150,000 lakh units, up 12 percent YoY, with channel inventory maintained at a lean 12 days, including seven days of transit stock.

Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer – Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India, said “We are currently operating at close to 100 percent capacity, with a new production line commissioned in April and scaling up from May. “Despite the capacity constrain, we have delivered an all-time high retail performance and are seeing robust bookings of 190,000 units, growing at around 20 percent,” he noted.

SUV Surge Lifts Market Share

A key growth driver has been the company’s sharper focus on higher-value vehicles, particularly in the mid-SUV segment. Maruti Suzuki has doubled its monthly SUV volumes from an average of 10,000 units in FY2024-25 to around 20,000 units currently. Its market share in the SUV segment has expanded from 12.8 percent to 19 percent.

Industry passenger vehicle wholesales stood at 381,665 units in February, with expectations of 420,000–450,000 units in the coming months. While the broader industry is projected to grow 11–12 percent, Maruti Suzuki’s retail growth of 12 percent has enabled it to gain share, reaching 40.06 percent on the Vahan portal. The company said it has gained market share following the recent GST revision, despite production constraints.

To reduce waiting periods and balance demand across models, the company is calibrating production. Waiting periods for SUVs have increased by two to three days, while the WagonR continues to see over a month’s wait. Capacity additions at the Kharkhoda plant are expected to gradually add 100,000–120,000 units annually, supporting production of two to three models and easing pressure across segments.

CNG Momentum Continues

CNG models remain a strong pillar of growth. CNG penetration stood at nearly 44 percent in February and close to 40 percent for FY2026 (up to February). The company has sold 670,000 CNG vehicles so far this fiscal, reflecting 18.2 percent growth.

Banerjee highlighted the success of the S-CNG portfolio, including the Victoris under-body CNG kit, as a key contributor to this expansion.

Exports Hit Target Early

On the exports front, the company dispatched over 39,000 units in February, up 56.5 percent YoY. For FY2026 (April 2025 to February 2026) exports have crossed 400,000 units, marking 33.7 percent growth and enabling the company to achieve its full-year export target ahead of schedule.

Rahul Bharti, Executive Director – Corporate Affairs, noted that while the overall passenger vehicle industry’s exports grew around 7 percent till January, Maruti Suzuki’s exports expanded by over 30 percent, rising above 33 percent in February. The company now exports to over 100 countries.

The eVitara has emerged as a strong export performer, crossing 21,000 units across more than 39 countries, including the UK, Denmark and Germany. The company said it is dispatching one eVitara to every Nexa outlet and increasing test-drive vehicles to meet rising customer enquiries, which are running at nearly 2,000 per day.

Addressing concerns around geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, Bharti said the company’s export exposure to the region stands at around 12.5 percent in FY2026. “Our export portfolio is well diversified. We are not just increasing exports, but doing so in a broad-based manner to de-risk ourselves. We continue to monitor the situation,” he said.

For FY2026, Maruti Suzuki India remains on track to achieve total sales of 2.2 million units, including domestic sales, exports and supplies to other OEMs. Additional capacity enhancement at its Gujarat facility from July will support electric vehicle production, while the ramp-up at Kharkhoda is expected to ease supply constraints across the portfolio.

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McLaren Automotive has appointed Kemal Curic as Chief Design Officer with effect from April 2026. As a new member of the Executive Leadership Team, Curic will guide the overall design vision and creative strategy for the entire McLaren Automotive range. His appointment marks a significant step in strengthening the brand’s future direction.

Bringing over 20 years of international automotive design expertise, Curic has worked extensively on both high performance and luxury vehicles. He joins McLaren following a tenure at Ford Motor Company, where he served as Global Design Director for Performance Vehicles and was responsible for some of the industry’s most celebrated performance car designs. His career reflects a consistent ability to honour a brand’s heritage while pushing design boundaries.

In his new position at McLaren, Curic will oversee all design disciplines, including interiors, exteriors, colour and materials as well as digital design. He will collaborate closely with engineering and product strategy teams to ensure McLaren continues to set benchmarks in lightweight construction, high performance and emotionally compelling luxury vehicles. Known for successfully evolving iconic cars without losing their essence, Curic’s grasp of performance DNA and his talent for blending innovation with brand authenticity make him an exceptional fit for the company.

Curic said, “McLaren is one of the most respected and aspirational brands in the world. I’m excited to be part of their journey to help shape the design vision of a company so deeply rooted in engineering excellence and racing heritage. I look forward to working with the talented teams at McLaren to create the next generation of breathtaking, purpose‑driven cars.”

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Kia Europe has appointed Christophe Mandon as Vice President for Sales and Ownership Experience with effect from 13 April 2026. Reporting directly to Chief Operating Officer Sjoerd Knipping, Mandon will play a key part in advancing the company’s electrification efforts across Europe while also strengthening how Kia engages with its customers throughout their ownership journey.

Mandon arrives at Kia Europe following a successful tenure as Vice President at Kia France, where he led commercial and customer focused strategies in a challenging market. With 28 years of automotive experience, he has held senior leadership positions across France, the Netherlands, Spain, Morocco and Germany, covering regions in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

His extensive background includes key roles at Citroën and Groupe PSA. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Global Sales for Opel and Vauxhall at Stellantis in Germany, bringing deep cross brand and international expertise to his new position at Kia Europe.

Mandon said, “As Kia continues its transformation in Europe through electrification and digitalisation, strong sales performance and an outstanding customer experience are increasingly important. My focus is on supporting the European markets in achieving sustainable sales growth while delivering a seamless experience for customers at every touchpoint.”

Knipping said, “At Kia, customers are at the heart of our European business strategy. Christophe brings extensive international sales leadership experience and a strong understanding of evolving customer expectations. His leadership will be key to accelerating our commercial performance and further strengthening the ownership experience for Kia customers across Europe.”

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Renault India, one of the leading passenger vehicle manufacturers, has started nationwide customer deliveries of the new Renault Duster SUV.

The first Renault Duster SUV was handed over in Chennai by François Provost, CEO, Renault Group and Stephane Deblaise, CEO of Renault Group in India. The commencement of deliveries follows a period of growth for the subsidiary, which reported a 77 percent increase in sales in March 2026.

The event coincided with the opening of a new 'R store' on Mount Road in Chennai. The facility is spread across 4,500 sqft featuring a 3,000 sqft interaction area and a dedicated delivery bay.

This is the second such store in Chennai and the 11th in India. Renault plans to expand this experiential retail format to 70 outlets across the country within the year, supplementing its existing network of more than 350 sales points.

To support the launch, Renault is offering the Renault Forever programme, which provides vehicle coverage for up to seven years or 150,000 km. The company attributes its recent sales momentum to the introduction of the Duster alongside the updated Kiger and Triber models. The brand aims to utilise the new retail format to provide a different customer interaction model in urban markets.

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Italian supercar brand Ferrari has concluded its first national test drive event in India, hosting the Esperienza Ferrari and Passione Ferrari weekend at the Buddh International Circuit.

The event allowed participants to operate various models on the circuit, including the recently introduced 849 Testarossa, the 296 GTB, the 12Cilindri and the Amalfi.

The programme included the Club Challenge Experience, where guests drove the track-developed 296 Challenge and 488 Challenge models. During the Passione Ferrari segment, existing owners were permitted to drive their own vehicles on the Formula 1-grade track.

Technical sessions held during the weekend focused on the brand's hybrid technology and electrification strategy, specifically regarding the 296 and SF90 ranges.

This gathering represents a move by Ferrari to increase its presence in the Indian luxury market. The event combined track activities with hospitality and technical briefings intended to provide owners and prospective clients with insight into the brand's engineering and motorsport-derived systems.

The initiative follows a period of growth in the Indian performance car sector, where manufacturers are increasingly using circuit-based events to demonstrate vehicle capabilities. Ferrari utilised the occasion to highlight the integration of performance and electrification within its current product line-up.

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