FADA reports robust 18% growth in automobile retail sales on strong rural demand in January

10 Feb 2026 Evaluate

The Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) has said that the overall automobile retail sales grew by 17.61% to 27,22,558 units in the month of January 2026 as compared to 23,14,940 units in January 2025. It noted that the growth was supported by continued post-GST momentum, healthy rural cash flows on the back of harvest and weddings, and sustained demand visibility across freight.  Of the total, it said passenger vehicles segment reported 7.22% growth in sales at 5,13,475 units in the reporting month over 4,78,915 units in the year-ago period. Besides, two-wheeler retail sales grew 21% year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to 18,52,870 units in January. Three-wheeler and commercial vehicle retails witnessed sales growth of 19% and 15%, respectively last month. Moreover, tractor registrations rose 23% Y-o-Y to 1,14,759 units in January.

On the business outlook for the next three months, Fada stated that dealer confidence remains decisively constructive, with 79.70% of respondents expecting growth and only 1.88% indicating de-growth. It said the near-term macro setup is supportive: a growth-oriented Budget with a visible infra and agri thrust, policy continuity post GST 2.0, and rate stability after 2025's easing are collectively improving affordability, financing comfort and purchase intent.

It further noted that on-ground feedback also points to stronger enquiry pipelines, tighter follow-ups, and local marketing/activation intensity translating into higher conversion potential -- while the key watchouts remain election-related disruptions in select states, the usual seasonality/short-month effects, and model/variant availability in specific pockets. It said category-wise, two-wheelers are expected to stay on a positive slope, led by conversion of pending enquiries, continued wedding/festival tailwinds improving rural liquidity from crops, and rising traction in scooters, commuter motorcycles and EV acceptance -- though growth will be capped where OEM supply/variant constraints persist and where election codes impact footfalls.

It also said commercial vehicle sales outlook remains favourable through the quarter as dealers report an upcycle supported by infra project gearing, improving freight environment, and Q4 replacement/addition decisions, with applications linked to construction/ logistics and goods movement expected to perform better than discretionary categories. Passenger vehicles should see a strong February-March run on the back of booking pipeline strength, new model/variant excitement, and financial year-end buying. It said April registrations could normalise as festive intensity fades and base effects may play out unevenly across brands and regions. Overall, it said the next three months remain optimistic.

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