Auto sales in Vietnam fall 36% in Jan-May

Vehicles sales by members of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association (VAMA), which does not include VinFast and Hyundai, plunged 36% year-on-year to 113,527 in the first five months of 2023.

They included 82,943 passenger cars, down 41% year-on-year; 29,507 commercial vehicles, down 12%; and 1,077 special-purpose vehicles, down 63%.

The number of completely knocked down (CKD) vehicles hit 62,096, down 43% year-on-year; and that of completely-built-up (CBU) units fell 23% to 51,431.

In May, VAMA’s vehicle sales plummeted 53% year-on-year to 20,726 units. They included 14,483 passenger cars, 6,096 commercial vehicles, and 147 special-purpose vehicles.

Regarding non-VAMA members, VinFast delivered 2,996 electric vehicles (EVs) to customers in May, featuring 960 VF e34; 1,274 VF 8; 430 VF 9 models; and 332 VF 5 Plus.

The Vietnamese EV start-up delivered 8,483 units to the Vietnamese market in the first five months of this year, including 4,065 VF e34, 3,371 VF 8, 679 VF 9, and 368 VF 5 Plus.

Hyundai reported sales of 22,903 units in January-May, according to a report by TC Group, the manufacturer and official retailer of Hyundai vehicles in Vietnam. Its May figure was 3,575, down 22% from April.

As a result, Hyundai was the best-selling brand in the five-month period in Vietnam. Other top names were Toyota with 21,547; Ford with 14,302; KIA with 13,951; Mazda with 11,339; Mitsubishi with 10,583; and Honda with 8,069.

Vietnamese conglomerate Thaco, known for manufacturing and selling vehicles like KIA, Mazda, Peugeot, BMW, and its own Thaco trucks and buses, recorded total sales of 34,056 in the period.

Regarding models, the VinFast VF 8, an electric sport-utility vehicle (SUV), climbed to the top spot with 1,274 units sold in May. The VinFast VF e34 dropped to fifth place with sales of 960 units, from the top spot in April.

Other best-selling models in May were the Mitsubishi Xpander with 1,171; Honda City with 1,035; Toyota Corolla Cross with 1,014; and Ford Ranger with 932.