Maharashtra accounted for 15.9% of total commercial vehicle sales across the country in the third quarter of financial year 2025-26 (October to December 2025), according to data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). The state's share was the largest by a considerable margin, outpacing second-ranked Gujarat, which contributed 9.1% of national sales.

The gap between the two states — nearly seven percentage points — is wider than in most other vehicle segments tracked in the same period, pointing to Maharashtra's outsized role in driving commercial transport demand, underpinned by the presence of major industrial clusters, port infrastructure, and logistics corridors across the state.

Uttar Pradesh ranked third with an 8.3% share, followed by Tamil Nadu at 8.2% and Karnataka at 7.0%. The performance of Uttar Pradesh reflects the growing scale of freight movement in northern India, driven by agricultural produce, manufacturing output, and the expansion of road-based logistics networks connecting the state's urban and rural centres. Tamil Nadu's strong showing is consistent with its position as one of India's leading manufacturing states, with a concentration of automobile, engineering, and textile industries that generate sustained demand for goods-carrying vehicles.

Rajasthan contributed 6.3% of national commercial vehicle sales, while Haryana posted 6.2%. Both states benefit from their position along key national highway corridors that carry significant freight traffic between northern India's manufacturing belts and consumption centres. Delhi followed at 3.6%, and West Bengal at 3.5%, reflecting demand from two of the country's major urban and commercial nodes. Madhya Pradesh accounted for 4.3%, while Telangana and Andhra Pradesh contributed 3.4% and 3.3% respectively, indicating steady freight demand from the southern Deccan region. Kerala posted a 3.2% share, Odisha contributed 3.0%, and Chhattisgarh accounted for 2.6%. The remaining states and union territories were grouped under an "Others" category, which collectively held 12.1% of total commercial vehicle sales.

At the regional level, the Western Zone led the country with sales of 1.11 lakh units in the quarter, driven by the combined performance of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The zone's dominance reflects the density of industrial activity, port traffic, and inter-state freight movement that characterises western India's economic geography. Major ports including Mumbai, Nhava Sheva, and Mundra generate substantial demand for heavy and medium commercial vehicles engaged in container movement, bulk cargo transport, and related logistics operations.

The commercial vehicle segment in India encompasses a broad range of products, from light commercial vehicles used for urban goods delivery and passenger transport to medium and heavy trucks deployed in long-haul freight, construction, and mining applications. Demand in the segment is closely correlated with the overall health of the economy, infrastructure investment, and the pace of industrial and agricultural activity. As a result, commercial vehicle sales are widely tracked as a leading indicator of economic momentum, particularly in the goods transport sector.

The segment has also been at the centre of India's broader push toward cleaner mobility. Several manufacturers have introduced compressed natural gas (CNG) variants across truck and bus categories, while electric commercial vehicles, particularly in the light and medium segments, have gained traction in urban delivery applications. Government mandates on fleet modernisation and stricter emission norms have further encouraged operators to replace older vehicles, adding a replacement demand layer on top of fresh capacity additions.

SIAM, the apex body representing vehicle manufacturers in India, publishes state-level retail registration data periodically as a tool for tracking regional demand patterns across vehicle categories. These figures capture actual consumer-level registrations rather than wholesale dispatches from manufacturers to dealers, providing a more accurate reflection of market absorption. The Q3 FY2025-26 period covers October to December 2025, a quarter in which infrastructure project activity typically maintains pace ahead of the financial year-end, and fleet operators often make procurement decisions to align with year-end budget cycles and utilisation targets, both of which tend to support commercial vehicle offtake during this period.