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The intense battle between Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra for the second rank, after Maruti Suzuki, in the passenger vehicle market continues in good earnest in the current calendar year, with Tata in the lead after the first six months. Between January and June 2026, Tata Motors has clocked cumulative wholesales of 378,909 units, marking 40% YoY growth (H1 CY2025: 269,966 units). This gives Tata Motors a lead of 20,364 units over Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), which registered wholesales of 358,545 units in H1 CY2026, up 19% YoY (H1 CY2025: 301,194 units). While both OEMs have surpassed 350,000 PV sales in H1 CY2026, Tata Motors currently has a lead of 20,364 units over Mahindra, having outsold M&M in each of the past six months. The scenario was different a year ago. In H1 CY2025, M&M was ahead of Tata Motors by 31,228 units, when it had outsold the Nexon and Punch manufacturer in five of the six months. M&M had gone on to sell another 324,409 units in the second half of last year to end CY2025 with record wholesales of 625,603 SUVs. This stellar performance saw it jump two ranks in the overall passenger vehicle segment to become the new No. 2 OEM after Maruti Suzuki (CY2025: 1.80 million PVs), wresting that position from Tata Motors (CY2025: 562,468 units), which dropped down to third position and finished ahead of Hyundai Motor India (571,878 units) by just 6,893 units. Now Tata Motors is fighting back, and how. As the comparative sales data table (shown above) for the two OEMs reveals, Tata has dispatched more cars and SUVs than M&M in each of the past six months. The company’s highest monthly sales in the year to date came in January (70,222 units), compared to M&M, whose best month in the year to date was also January (63,510 SUVs). In the January-May 2026 period, Tata Motors posted a lead of 18,681 units over M&M, comprising 1,694 ICE vehicles (1% difference) and 16,987 EVs (57% difference). Strong EV Sales Give Tata the Edge Over Mahindra in H1 CY2026 If Tata Motors has managed to turn the tables on M&M in H1 CY2026, then a fair portion of the credit should go to its EVs, which have hit new highs in  . In June, the e-car and e-SUV manufacturer dispatched 14,800 e-PVs, marking a 183% YoY increase (June 2025: 5,228 units). June was also the second month running that Tata EV surpassed wholesales of 10,000 units, having done so for the first time in May (10,517 units, up 85%). As a result of the strong month-on-month growth, cumulative Tata e-PV wholesales for Q1 FY2027 (April-June 2026), at 34,467 units, jumped 112% YoY (Q1 FY2026: 16,231 units), beating the previous best of 24,855 Tata e-PVs in Q2 FY2026. The rapid acceleration in demand for Tata Motors’ EVs has meant that first-half CY2026 sales of 61,398 units constitute stellar growth of 91% YoY (January-June 2025: 32,167 units). What’s more, the H1 CY2026 numbers are already 76% of the company’s record annual sales of 81,125 e-PVs in CY2025 and should surpass the 125,000-unit mark in CY2026 with ease. Since model-wise wholesale splits for June 2026 are not yet known, a look at the January-May 2026 numbers for Tata Motors and M&M in terms of ICE and EV powertrains (see data table above) reveals the extra charge that EVs have given Tata over M&M. In the first five months of this year, Tata Motors sold a total of 270,235 ICE (petrol, diesel, CNG) vehicles, which is a slender lead of 1,694 units (just a 1% difference) over M&M’s 268,541 petrol- and diesel-engined SUVs. EVs are where Tata has trumped M&M because, between January and May 2026, Tata sold 46,598 units compared to Mahindra’s 29,611 e-SUVs. This is a lead of 16,987 units (a difference of 57%) in the first five months of CY2026. What has helped Among the mainstream PV manufacturers in India, Tata Motors continues to have the largest EV portfolio. It has seven models comprising the Tiago EV, Nexon EV, Punch EV, Harrier EV, Curvv EV, Tigor EV/Xpres-T (for fleet buyers), and the just-launched Sierra EV. Mahindra & Mahindra currently has four models comprising the BE 6, XEV 9e, XEV 9S and the XUV400. The XEV 9S, launched in November 2025, is witnessing the highest demand. What’s clear is that, halfway into CY2026, both Tata Motors and M&M are headed for their highest annual sales. Tata, which sold  , has already achieved 65% of that total with 378,909 units in H1 CY2026 and will cross both the 600,000- and 700,000-sales marks for the first time this year. Mahindra & Mahindra, with 358,545 SUVs dispatched in H1 CY2026, has already clocked 57% of its record 625,603 SUVs sold in CY2025 and will also go on to surpass the 700,000 milestone for the first time this year. Expect the ongoing battle between these two home-grown legacy OEMs to further intensify in the coming months. Stay tuned as we bring you up to date on all the exciting action in the automotive marketplace.