Vietnam auto sales up 11% to 19,243 units in Jan

The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association (VAMA), not including VinFast and Hyundai, sold 19,243 vehicles in January, down 50% from December 2023 but up 11% year-on-year.

The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association (VAMA), not including VinFast and Hyundai, sold 19,243 vehicles in January, down 50% from December 2023 but up 11% year-on-year.

The sales breakdown amounted to 14,745 passenger cars, down 54% from a month ago; 4,390 commercial vehicles, down 31,5%; and 108 special-purpose vehicles, down 46%.

The number of completely knocked down (CKD) vehicles sold was 9,783, down 59% from December 2023; and that of completely-built-up (CBU) units was 9,460, a 36% drop.

Outside VAMA, Hyundai reported sales of 3,569 units in January, according to a report by TC Group, the manufacturer and official retailer of Hyundai vehicles in Vietnam. The figure was one-third of the 10,844 it sold in December 2023.

As a result, Hyundai was the best-selling brand in Vietnam in the first month of this year. Other top players were Ford with 2,671, KIA with 2,369, Toyota with 2,208, and Honda with 2,023.

Vietnamese conglomerate Thaco, which makes and sells various brands including KIA, Mazda, Peugeot, BMW and its own Thaco trucks and buses, recorded total sales of 5,443, making it the leading seller. This included 2,369 KIA, 1,972 Mazda, 604 Thaco trucks, and 150 Thaco buses.

A Mitsubishi Xpander. Photo courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors Vietnam.

The Mitsubishi Xpander, a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), was the best-selling model in Vietnam in January with 1,285 units; followed by the Ford Ranger, a pickup truck, with 1,143; Hyundai Accent, a sedan, with 916; Mazda CX-5, a sport utility vehicle (SUV), with 807; and Honda HR-V, a subcompact crossover SUV, with 801.