Mahindra XEV 9S Outsold Tata Safari ICE in H1 2026

Tata's Safari EV is expected to launch around Diwali 2026. It is reported to be built on the same Acti.ev+ architecture that underpins the Harrier EV. None of this has been officially confirmed by Tata yet, but the timing lines up with why Tata would want to speed up the launch.

The ICE Gap

New vehicle sales from January to June 2026 show the Safari trailing well behind its closest rival, the Mahindra XUV 7XO. The Safari recorded 10,225 units in the period, against 43,533 for the 7XO which is over 4 times.

The fuel split tells a similar story on both sides. Diesel dominates for both SUVs: 8,649 units (84.6%) of Safari sales were diesel, and 33,055 units (75.9%) of 7XO sales were diesel. Petrol purchase rates differ with roughly 1 in 4 7XO buyers picked petrol, against roughly 1 in 6 for the Safari. Seating configuration is a near-mirror for both: the 7-seater layout accounts for 96.1% of Safari sales and 95.9% of 7XO sales, with 6-seater variants making up the rest on both sides.

Where XEV 9S Fits In

The more telling number sits outside the ICE comparison altogether. In the same January-June 2026 period, the Mahindra XEV 9S sold 13,475 units on its own. That's more than the Safari's entire ICE sales volume for the same six months.

Mahindra leads the Indian OEM battle in the 7 seater segment where both its ICE and EV models are currently outselling Tata's flagship diesel SUV outright. Tata has no equivalent yet in the electric three-row space, which is the gap the reported Safari EV would be stepping into. This also sums up why Tata is currently focusing on EVs and not hybrids which will currently be an unknown territory for the Indian OEM.

What Comes Next

If the Diwali 2026 timeline holds, the Safari EV would arrive as Tata's first real answer to the XEV 9S, riding on the same underpinnings as the Harrier EV rather than a clean-sheet platform. Battery and pricing details remain unconfirmed, and we will report on them as Tata's own communication becomes official.