Car sales in India increased by 2.2% year-on-year to 1,436,000 units in the first three months of 2025.
Looking at market trends by vehicle segment, there has been no change in the major trend of an increase in SUVs and MPVs and a decrease in passenger cars (sedans, hatchbacks, etc.), but among SUVs, sales of compact SUVs with an overall length of less than 4.0m increased 9.8% to 348,000 units, and sales of small SUVs with an overall length of around 4.0-4.4m grew 8.8% to 158,000 units. Compact SUVs with overall lengths of less than 4.0m and around 4.0m to 4.4m continued to grow at a high level with 158,000 units, up 8.8% year-on-year.

On the other hand, sales of midsize and large SUVs, which are larger in body size, remained sluggish, up 0.3% to 134,000 units, showing some variation by segment.
However, while sales of medium- and large-size SUVs have been sluggish, sales of Mahindra’s Thar Roxx have been strong, and although the new vehicle effect is expected to be significant since it was just launched in August 2024, it is attracting attention as a model with the characteristics of both small SUVs, which mainly feature 2-row seats, and medium- and large-size SUVs, which mainly feature 3-row seats and large engine models. The new model is attracting attention as a model with features of both small SUVs, which mainly have two rows of seats, and medium and large SUVs, which mainly have three rows of seats and large displacement engines.

The Thar Roxx is a 2-row, 5-seat model powered by a 2.2-liter turbo GE and 2.2-liter turbo DE, which are top class in terms of power and torque compared to other major 2-row SUVs.
The minimum price is set at 1.3 million rupees (2.18 million yen), which is equivalent to the price of the top grade of small SUVs and less expensive than the main models of medium and large SUVs.
In India, there is a growing opinion that three-row seats are not practical due to their limited space, and this can be seen as a sign of an increase in high-end two-row SUVs with high-performance engines with more power and a wide range of equipment despite having two rows of seats.