VIN Numbers Starting With MA — Built in India
A VIN starting with MA through ME was built in India. MAT is Tata, MA1 is Mahindra, MA3 is Maruti Suzuki, MAL is Hyundai India. Almost none of these models were ever sold in North America, which shapes what any US-based tool can tell you.
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A VIN beginning with MA through ME identifies a vehicle manufactured in India. Common Indian WMIs include MAT (Tata Motors), MA1 (Mahindra), MA3 and MBH (Maruti Suzuki), MAL (Hyundai Motor India), MAK (Honda Cars India), MBJ (Toyota Kirloskar) and MEE (Renault India). The letter M is shared: MF–MK is Indonesia, ML–MR is Thailand and MS–M0 is Myanmar.
Reading a Indian-built VIN
The first character places the factory. Everything that matters about the individual vehicle comes after it.
- 1Read the two-character rangeMA–ME is India. MF–MK is Indonesia, ML–MR is Thailand and MS–M0 is Myanmar.
- 2Match the WMIMAT Tata, MA1 Mahindra, MA3 and MBH Maruti Suzuki, MAL Hyundai India, MBJ Toyota Kirloskar.
- 3Understand what a chassis number isIn India the VIN is commonly called the chassis number and appears on the RC book, the insurance policy and the chassis stamping.
- 4Know where the records liveIndian ownership and registration records sit with the state RTOs and the national VAHAN system, not with US title databases.
What the code tells you
Who actually holds the code
MAT is Tata, MA1 is Mahindra, MA3 and MBH are Maruti Suzuki. Several global brands hold separate Indian identifiers for their local subsidiaries.
Two-wheelers dominate
MD2 Bajaj, ME4 Honda Motorcycle India and MBL Hero MotoCorp reflect a market where motorcycles outnumber cars by a wide margin.
Export production
Indian plants export to Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Europe, so an Indian-built car can turn up far from India.
US database coverage
Models never certified for US sale do not appear in US specification catalogues, so a US decoder returns manufacturer and country and little else.
VINs beginning with MA through ME: manufacturer codes
The first three characters of the VIN are the World Manufacturer Identifier. These are the ones you are most likely to meet on a Indian-built vehicle — a representative list, not a complete one, since a large manufacturer holds many codes across plants and vehicle classes.
| WMI | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MAT | Tata Motors | Pune / Sanand |
| MA1 | Mahindra | Passenger and utility |
| MA3 | Maruti Suzuki | Gurgaon / Manesar |
| MBH | Maruti Suzuki | Newer models |
| MAL | Hyundai Motor India | Chennai |
| MAK | Honda Cars India | — |
| MAJ | Ford India | Chennai / Sanand |
| MBJ | Toyota Kirloskar | Bidadi, Karnataka |
| MEE | Renault India | Chennai |
| MD2 | Bajaj Auto | Motorcycles |
| ME4 | Honda Motorcycle India | — |
| MBL | Hero MotoCorp | Motorcycles |
Decode the other sixteen characters
The country code is one character. Enter the full VIN to get the make, model, year and plant — plus title brands, theft records, accidents and open recalls.
Chassis number, VIN, engine number — which one you actually have
In India the seventeen-character VIN is almost always referred to as the chassis number. It is the same thing: the same ISO 3779 structure, the same World Manufacturer Identifier in the first three characters, the same check digit rule and the same model-year character in position ten.
It is worth distinguishing from the engine number, which is a separate identifier stamped on the engine block and recorded alongside the chassis number on the registration certificate. The engine number identifies a component that can be replaced; the chassis number identifies the vehicle.
Both appear on the RC book, on the insurance policy, and physically on the vehicle. If a document and the stamping disagree, that is the discrepancy worth investigating, and it is the same principle that applies to a VIN plate anywhere in the world.
Where an Indian vehicle's history is actually recorded
History reports are a function of the record system a vehicle is registered in. In the United States that means state title records, NMVTIS, insurance total-loss reporting and police theft filings. In India it means the state Regional Transport Offices and the national VAHAN registration database, which hold registration, ownership-transfer, hypothecation and fitness records.
Those systems are not connected, and a US-market history service cannot read Indian registration data. If you are buying a vehicle registered in India, the authoritative sources are the RTO record and the insurance history, not a US report.
Where a US check does apply is the reverse case: an Indian-built vehicle that has been imported and titled in the United States. Its US records exist from the point of US registration onward, keyed to the same chassis number stamped at the plant.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a VIN starting with MA mean?
The vehicle was manufactured in India. ISO 3779 allots the MA–ME range to India, with MAT belonging to Tata Motors, MA1 to Mahindra and MA3 to Maruti Suzuki.
Is a chassis number the same as a VIN?
Yes. In India the seventeen-character VIN is commonly called the chassis number. It follows the same ISO 3779 structure used worldwide, and is distinct from the engine number.
Does M always mean India?
No. The letter is subdivided: MA–ME is India, MF–MK is Indonesia, ML–MR is Thailand and MS–M0 is Myanmar.
Can I check an Indian vehicle's history from the United States?
Not through US databases. Indian registration and ownership records are held by the state RTOs and the VAHAN system. A US history report only covers vehicles that have been titled in the United States.
Other country codes & related lookups
Read another country's manufacturer codes, or go straight to a full decode.
Get your full vehicle history report
Where a vehicle was built is fixed at the factory. Where it has been titled, whether it was ever written off, and what the odometer actually read are recorded against the same VIN.
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