India posts 4.85 million new car sales in fiscal 2022 to top Japan for first time

India’s new car sales in fiscal 2022, which ended in March, soared 28.2 percent year-on-year to 4.85 million units, surpassing Japan’s 4.39 million new vehicle sales.

It was the first time for India, which became the world's third-largest auto market following China and the US in 2022, to overtake Japan in new car sales on a calendar basis.

According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, passenger cars accounted for 3.89 million of the 4.85 million units sold, jumping 26.7 percent from the previous year.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, a subsidiary of Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corp, was the top brand, selling 1.61 million cars, or 40 percent of the total. South

Hyundai Motor Co was second with 567,546 units, followed by India's Tata Motors Ltd with 544,391 cars.

Toyota Motor Corp sold 173,245 units, while Honda Motor Co and Nissan Motor Co delivered 91,418 and 33,611 cars, respectively.