Indian manufacturers dispatched 4,39,309 passenger vehicles to dealers in August 2026, up 36.5% from 3,21,901 in August 2025 and the highest August on record, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM via Autocar Professional, 15 September 2026). Dealers retailed 4,02,398 to buyers in the same month, up 16.14%, on FADA's Vahan-based count (FADA via Autocar Professional, 7 September 2026).
Two numbers, two different things
SIAM counts wholesale dispatches, cars leaving the factory for a dealer. FADA counts retail, cars registered to a buyer on the government Vahan portal. In August 2026 dispatches ran 36,911 units ahead of retail. AutoNergy's India dashboard uses the FADA retail series throughout, so each month on the chart measures the same thing.
Why dispatch growth is more than double retail growth
The base explains most of it. In August 2025 dispatches of 3,21,901 were below that month's retail of 3,46,468, so the comparison month for SIAM was unusually low. SIAM's director general Rajesh Menon said the growth was "supported by a lower base of previous year". Menon also pointed to festive demand as a boost for the quarter.
What SIAM's number leaves out
SIAM's passenger-vehicle total includes Tata Motors only at an aggregate level, and BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar Land Rover and Volvo do not report monthly to SIAM. Excluding Tata Motors, dispatches were 3,74,056 against 2,80,900 a year earlier. Two-wheeler dispatches rose 10.5% to 20,34,698.
Eight months of retail: 3,388,139
On the FADA basis India has retailed 3,388,139 passenger vehicles from January to August 2026. The festive run from late September through Diwali is normally the strongest stretch of the Indian year. Open the live India dashboard for the monthly retail series and the fuel mix.