NEW DELHI: Indian sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and other larger vehicles have raced ahead of smaller passenger cars in the export market in the first five months of this fiscal year, paving the way for them to dominate annual overseas sales for the first time in FY27, according to two industry executives and analysts.
Higher exports of such utility vehicles, driven by India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, have helped the category maintain a lead over passenger cars for the past 10 months.
Exports of SUVs, multipurpose vehicles (MPVs) and multi-utility vehicles (MUVs), classified together as utility vehicles, jumped 23% to 203,582 units in the April-to-August period from a year earlier, accounting for 56% of total car exports, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) earlier this week.
Passenger car exports fell 16% to 154,190 accounting for a 43% share. The remainder was made up by passenger vans. Put together, total passenger vehicle exports grew by 2% to 360,553 units. Maruti’s exports grew 14% to 186,603 units, with utility vehicles making up 62% of the total.
“Maruti Suzuki not only is the leading player in the overall passenger vehicle exports from India with a share of 51.8% during April-August 2026 (as per Siam data) but also has a commanding presence in the UV space with a 57% share, reflecting how much Maruti Suzuki’s UVs are loved by consumers across the world,” Rahul Bharti, senior executive officer at Maruti Suzuki, said in response to Mint‘s queries.
The gap between utility vehicles, including Fronx, Exter and Jimny, and smaller passenger cars such as i20, Verna and WagonR has narrowed over the past two years, with the former taking a lead of almost 50,000 units in the current financial year. Passenger vehicle exports rose 18% to 905,200 units in FY26, with passenger cars holding a 49.6% share with 449,279 units, while utility vehicles held a 49.2% share in total exports with 445,152 units.
Domestic, global markets
Top industry executives and observers noted that the in both the domestic and global markets, changing the product mix and helping carmakers capture more value from the exports of larger vehicles, which typically cost more.
The shift is even more pronounced in the domestic market. Utility vehicles accounted for almost 67% of India’s passenger-vehicle sales in FY26, with over 3.1 million units sold compared with 1.37 million passenger cars, according to SIAM. The growing preference for SUVs at home is now increasingly being mirrored in overseas markets.
Bharti of Maruti Suzuki said the company has steadily increased exports in recent years, with global sales of 17 models spanning hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs, MPVs, vans and an LCV to about 120 destinations.
managing director and chief executive officer Tarun Garg said in an emailed response to Mint that there is growing demand for the company’s SUVs, which will drive the share of these vehicles up in its overall international sales mix.
“The growing preference for SUVs is reflected in broader industry export trends, with utility vehicle exports continuing to gain share within India’s overall passenger vehicle export mix. We expect this momentum to continue, supported by sustained demand across multiple export markets,” Garg said.
Hyundai’s utility vehicle exports fell 7% to 12,310 units in the April-to-August period while its passenger cars exports went down by 13% to 58,948 units, thereby increasing the share of UVs to 17%. The decline in exports was largely due to disruptions in trade routes and schedules owing to the West Asia war and a fire at a key supplier during the period.
Nissan’s India unit was the second-largest exporter of utility vehicles in India in FY26, with 56,712 UV units constituting 68% of its export mix. The share of its UV exports went up to 87% in the April-to-August period with 20,301 units shipped overseas.
“We expect SUVs to become an increasingly significant part of Nissan’s exports. Our B-SUV, the Nissan Magnite, is available across over 65 right-hand-drive and left-hand-drive markets. The Nissan TEKTON will build on this momentum, with exports commenced to South Africa, Nepal and Bhutan, and a wider rollout planned across over 50 markets,” a Nissan Motor spokesperson said. “Nissan remains focused on expanding the scale and international reach of its made-in-India vehicles.”
Marginal players
and Mahindra and Mahindra are marginal players when it comes to exports, but they have started to scale up international sales. While Mahindra is studying markets across the world for the entry of its passenger vehicles, Tata has started an aggressive push in South Africa, where it launched one of its domestic best sellers—Tata Nexon—earlier this month.
“TMPVL’s international business is on a strong growth trajectory, and our return to the South African market has been an important part of this journey,” Vivek Srivatsa, chief commercial officer at Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd, said during the launch of the vehicle.
Arun Malhotra, an auto industry expert, noted that the quality of utility vehicles has improved, which is helping larger cars make a headway in the global markets.
“These cars are bound to take a lead as the market for exports has significantly expanded due to SUVs as companies can play in newer regions and segments which were out of reach earlier,” he said.