Rivals speed ahead as Tata Motors lags in EV race

This article was originally published in Rest of World, which covers technology’s impact outside the West.

Until recently, Tata Motors had a dream run in India’s electric-vehicle market.

The first homegrown automaker to successfully launch an EV in the country, it quickly gained traction with vehicles across diverse price points. By 2023, Tata Motors had cornered most of the Indian market.

Then came the speed bumps. Tata Motors’ fleet sales plummeted from 26,000 in 2023 to 2,000 in 2024. Its market share eroded from about 70% in early 2024 to 53% this year.

Rivals closed in. JSW MG Motor India, a joint venture between India’s JSW Group and China’s SAIC Motor, more than doubled its market share to 28% in 2025. It sold 3,765 EVs in May, while Tata Motors sold only 586 more, according to data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations. Domestic auto giant Mahindra & Mahindra sold 2,632 EVs and registered a 343% year-on-year growth.

Overall volumes continue to be small amid fluctuating demand in the Indian market. While the government aims for a third of all vehicles to be electric by 2030, EVs comprised only 2.5% of the 4.3 million cars sold in the country in 2024. Sales have grown to a modest 4% this year. The EV market...

Read more

News