New Delhi, April 2 LG Electronics India announced on Thursday that it had sold over a million air conditioners in the first quarter of 2026 and claimed to be a "leading player" in the category.
However, Tata Group firm Voltas disputed this claim, stating that it still leads the residential air conditioning market, which is expected to be around 12-14 million units per year.
When contacted, Voltas declined to comment on the market development due to a period of silence before the release of its quarterly results.
"Nevertheless, Voltas continues to maintain its leadership position in the room air-conditioning market, strengthened by customer trust and our continued focus on innovation, energy efficiency, and service excellence," said Voltas management.
LG Electronics India (LGEI), which had a record listing on the stock exchanges last year, announced the sale of over 1 million air conditioners in the first quarter of 2026 and said this landmark achievement marked the fastest and strongest start to a summer season in the company's history in India.
"This milestone not only underscores LGE India's exceptional execution capabilities and supply chain agility, but also cements its position as the leading player in India's fast-growing and highly competitive air conditioner market," it said.
According to LGEI, the key driver of this achievement was its first-mover advantage with the launch of its new BEE star-rated compliant AC line-up well ahead of the season.
In addition, LGE India's marketing campaign during the ICC World Cup also delivered significant reach and consumer engagement, it said.
Besides the domestic market, LGE India also exports its Made-in-India ACs to Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Southeast Asia, etc.
While Voltas had claimed to have achieved the 2 million AC milestone in April 2024, which was also an industry first, the Indian RAC market is considered to be very competitive, with players such as Voltas, LG, Daikin, BlueStar, Hitachi, Panasonic, and Lloyd operating in it.
The RAC industry expects good sales this year after a dull year in 2025, as sales were impacted due to unseasonal rainfall, along with other factors.
The industry had a very good growth a year before that, in 2024, when several parts of the country witnessed intense heatwaves.
This year, the air conditioning industry has already seen a hike in January, when new energy labeling norms were implemented by BEE from January 1, 2026.
However, due to current geopolitical tensions, which have increased the price of plastics, copper, and ocean freight, most players are going for a 5-15 per cent price hike.