What India’s Latest Sales Report Reveals About Future CV Buying Patterns

Recent data from industry bodies and dealers indicate shifting trends across India’s commercial-vehicle market. Light and medium commercial vehicles are witnessing strong growth, while demand for heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs) remains weak. These shifts help us forecast how fleet purchases may evolve in the near to mid-term, driven by logistics demand, cost pressures, and changing use cases.

LCV and MCV Sales Are Leading the Upswing

According to the recent monthly CV sales report, total CV sales in October 2025 jumped to 1,07,841 units — a 17.7% year-on-year increase over October 2024.
Within this, light commercial vehicles (LCVs) logged 72,948 units — a 29.8% YoY increase and an impressive 64.3% jump month-on-month. Medium commercial vehicles (MCVs) also registered healthy growth (YoY +19.8%).

This suggests that businesses and fleet operators are increasingly favouring lighter, more versatile CVs — ideal for intra-city transport, short-haul deliveries, and flexible logistics. As e-commerce, retail distribution and short-distance freight demand grow, LCVs and MCVs appear to be the immediate go-to choice.

HCV Demand Remains Soft — A Sign of Changing Priorities

In contrast to lighter segments, HCVs seem to be losing steam. The same October 2025 data shows HCV sales at 27,685 units — a drop of about 5.8% compared to October 2024.

The softness in HCV sales points to a reduced appetite for heavy-haul or long-haul fleet purchases. Factors could include rising input costs (fuel, maintenance), tighter financing, or a strategic shift by transport companies towards more frequent use of lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles — especially if origin-destination distances shrink or last-mile logistics predominate.

Urban & Rural Spread, EV/Alternative Fuel Uptake — Early Signals

A broader review of FY25 retail data reveals interesting structural patterns: roughly 50.7% of CV sales were in urban regions, 49.3% in rural areas.

Also noteworthy: the share of electric or alternative-fuel CVs remains small but growing — FY25 saw EV penetration of about 0.9%, up from 0.8% in FY24.

This suggests that future buying patterns may increasingly factor in fuel efficiency, operating cost, and regulatory/environmental considerations — especially in urban freight and delivery fleets.

Fleet Renewal & Replacement Over Expansion

Another trend gleaned from 2025 data: growth seems driven more by replacement (fleet renewal) and modest expansion, rather than massive fleet additions. FY25 retail numbers for light commercial vehicles rose only slightly (from 562,026 to 563,189), a marginal YoY increase.

This likely means operators are replacing older trucks with newer LCV/MCV units (for efficiency, lower maintenance), rather than investing in heavy-duty capacity. As a result, demand for smaller/medium CVs will stay steady or grow, while HCV demand remains subdued unless economic or infrastructure conditions shift markedly.

What It Means for OEMs and Buyers

• Manufacturers and OEMs may prioritise production and launch of LCVs/MCVs over HCVs in the near term.
• Buyers — especially delivery, logistics, retail distribution, and small-business operators — might prefer flexible, fuel-efficient trucks ideal for short to mid-haul, intra-city transport.
• For heavy truck buyers (long-haul logistics, raw-material transport), purchase cycles may get stretched until input costs, freight demand and profitability improve.
• Gradual shift toward alternative-fuel CVs may gather pace especially for urban fleets and last-mile delivery providers.

Conclusion: CV Buying Patterns Are Evolving — Light & Medium Trucks Lead the Way

India’s latest CV sales reports show a clear tilt toward light and medium trucks. The growth in LCV and MCV segments, modest overall fleet renewal and small EV share suggest a market adapting to evolving logistics needs: shorter routes, cost-efficiency, and flexibility.

For OEMs, buyers, and fleet operators — the message is clear: smaller, efficient CVs seem to define the near-term future. Heavy-haul demand may return only when economic conditions, infrastructure projects or long-haul freight volumes justify the added cost and capacity.