Vietnam auto sales down 29% in 11 months to 263,249

The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association (VAMA), not including VinFast and Hyundai, sold 263,249 vehicles in January-November this year, down 29% year-on-year.

The sales breakdown was 198,573 passenger cars, down 31% year-on-year; 62,671 commercial vehicles, a 16% decline; and 2,005 special-purpose vehicles, down 57%.

The number of completely knocked down (CKD) vehicles was 157,336, down 25% year-on-year; and that of completely-built-up (CBU) units was 105,913, a 34% drop.

November sales of 27,953 vehicles marked a 23% year-on-year decrease but a 10% increase from the month before. This comprised 22,451 passenger cars, 5,318 commercial vehicles, and 184 special-purpose vehicles. The numbers of CKD and CBU units were 18,092 and 9,861, respectively.

Outside VAMA, Hyundai reported sales of 56,606 units in January-November, according to a report by TC Group, the manufacturer and official retailer of Hyundai vehicles in Vietnam. Its November sales figure was 7,980 units, up 6.9% over the previous month.

As a result, Hyundai was the best-selling brand in Vietnam in the first 11 months of this year. Other top players were Toyota with 48,364; Ford with 33,468; Mitsubishi with 26,620; Honda with 19,743; and Suzuki with 12,202.

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 86,482 units in the period. This included 36,035 KIA; 31,296 Mazda; and 13,443 Thaco trucks; also among the top selling brands in Vietnam.

In November, the Mazda CX-5 SUV topped the sales chart for the fourth month in a row again with 2,195. Other Japanese models were the Toyota Vios, Mitsubishi Xpander, Toyota Veloz Cross, and Toyota Yaris Cross. South Korean models also dominated the November chart with the Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Tucson, Hyundai Creta, and KIA Sonet. The only non-Asian name was the Ford Ranger.