Faced with challenges in the domestic market, Indian-made cars hit a sweet spot in exports – The Times of India

NEW DELHI: India’s domestic auto industry may be banking on the government’s GST cuts to channel volume growth, but exports are proving to be a pretty happy hunting ground for the passenger car industry, which has registered a jump of almost 20% in the first half of this fiscal and is shipping a variety of vehicles ranging from electric vehicles, hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs. Exports during Apr-Sep FY26 reached nearly 4.5 lakh units, led by strong volumes from Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Nissan and Volkswagen.Maruti Suzuki, a leader in domestic sales, is also leading in exports and aims to ship over 4 lakh units in the financial year 2025-26. Things are already going well for Maruti with its overseas shipments – comprising models like Fronx, Jimny, Swift, Baleno and Dzire – crossing two lakh units in the first half. “We are exporting cars in a quarter of what we exported in a year four years ago. This is a tribute to the call of Make in India, Make for the World,” Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer (Corporate Affairs), Maruti, told TOI.The sophistication and quality of production has been such that Maruti now exports cars to its parent company’s home market of Japan, where the Indian-made Jimny is a hit. The company also started selling its first electric car, the eVitara, in export markets, while planning to bring it to India later. “We shipped over 6,000 electric vehicles in August and September,” Bharti said.Hyundai, perhaps the first company to bet heavily on exports, has achieved 17% export growth this year as it shipped nearly 1 lakh units as against 84,900 units in the first half of the previous fiscal.José Muñoz, Hyundai’s global CEO, praised the quality and cost competitiveness of production here. He said the company will make India a major global hub for electric vehicle exports, apart from ICE (internal combustion engines) products.The company exports the Creta to Africa, Grandi10 (both hatchback and sedan) and Verna to Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, the i20 to Africa and Latin America. Cumulatively, it has been exported to more than 150 countries. “By 2030, India will be our second largest region in the world, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Make in India’. We are making India a global export hub, targeting an export contribution of up to 30%,” Muñoz said.Nissan exports the Sunny sedan to the Middle East, and the Magnite compact SUV to as many as 65 countries. Company MD Saurabh Vatsa said India is Nissan’s second largest export center in the AMIEO (Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania) region. “India is home to some of the best engineering talent, highly efficient and competitive manufacturing and a high-quality supplier base. In addition, India’s well-equipped and easily accessible ports provide a geographical advantage on international shipping routes to multiple destinations,” Vatsa said.