Vietnam auto sales down 29% in 10 months, Mitsubishi Xpander bestseller

The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association (VAMA), not including VinFast and Hyundai, sold 235,296 vehicles in January-October this year, down 29% year-on-year.

The sales breakup was 176,122 passenger cars, down 32% year-on-year; 57,353 commercial vehicles, a 16% decline; and 1,821 special-purpose vehicles, down 60%.

The number of completely knocked down (CKD) vehicles was 139,244, down 27% year-on-year; and that of completely-built-up (CBU) units was 96,052, a 33% drop.

October sales of 25,369 vehicles marked a 29% year-on-year decrease and down six units from a month ago. This comprised 19,624 passenger cars, 5,604 commercial vehicles and 141 special-purpose vehicles. The numbers of CKD and CBU units were 16,414 and 8,955, respectively.

Outside VAMA, Hyundai reported sales of 48,626 units in January-October, according to a report by TC Group, the manufacturer and official retailer of Hyundai vehicles in Vietnam. Its October sales figure was 7,458 units, up 24.8% after a month.

As a result, Hyundai was the best-selling brand in Vietnam in the first 10 months of this year. Other top players were Toyota with 42,531; Ford with 29,546; Mitsubishi with 24,013; Honda with 17,218; and Suzuki with 11,528.

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 76,934 units in the period. This included 31,897 KIA; 27,791 Mazda; and 12,322 Thaco trucks; also among the top selling brands in Vietnam.

Mazda CX-5, a sport utility vehicle (SUV), topped the sales chart for models again with 2,195, after leading the September chart with 2,023. South Korean models dominated the October chart with Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Tucson, Hyundai Creta, KIA Sonet, KIA Seltos, and Hyundai Santa Fe. Non-Korean names are Toyota Vios, Ford Ranger, and Mitsubishi Xpander.

In the Jan-Oct period, the best-selling models were Mitsubishi Xpander with 15,464; Mazda CX-5 with 13,301; Hyundai Accent with 13,014; and Ford Ranger with 12,710.