India's biggest vehicle exports are not small cars but SUVs now

As India experiences a boom in the automobile sector, there has been an UV boom with more buyers including the first-time owners choosing their SUVs, MPVs and MUVs. The shift in the SUVs is clearly visible according to the statistics of export.  

Earlier the country had a long-standing small car purchase which nowadays has shifted the growth pattern and higher-value vehicles such as SUVs with UV experts are set to outspace passenger car volumes.  

Cars traditionally dominated India’s automobile export basket until a couple of years ago. In FY24, total car exports stood at 4.3 lakh units, while UV exports were significantly lower at 2.3 lakh units.

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November marked a milestone and a turning point as the India-built UVs shipments of made-in-India cars.  

Total UV exports stood at 42,993 units, compared with passenger car exports of 40,519 units-marking the first-ever instance of exports tilting in favour of utility vehicles.

For the Apr-Nov 2025 period, total car exports stood at 3.04 lakh units, up from 2.71 lakh units in the year-ago period, while UV exports rose sharply to 2.88 lakh units from 2.22 lakh units a year earlier.

Total UV exports are likely to surpass car exports in the coming months, with FY26 expected to become the first fiscal year to formally witness this shift.

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Maruti Suzuki contributes over 47 per cent of all passenger vehicles exported from India, including cars, UVs and vans. Currently, Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai dominate passenger car exports, together accounting for about 81 per cent of total car shipments in the current fiscal.

In the UV segment, Maruti Suzuki is well ahead of competitors, with Nissan, Toyota and Hyundai emerging as other key players. In fact, Maruti’s total UV export volumes are almost equal to the combined UV exports of all other manufacturers.

A Maruti Suzuki spokesperson said compactness continues to be a defining trait across body styles-whether hatchbacks, sedans or SUVs-as compact vehicles are inherently more fuel-efficient and emit lower levels of CO2.