Auto sales signal recovery with 58 pct surge

By Dat Nguyen May 12, 2021 | 04:57 pm PT

An SUV is seen at a dealership in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Minh Quan.

Vietnam's auto sales in the first four months surged 58 percent year-on-year to 101,309 units, signaling a recovery from last year's pandemic impacts.

This sales figure marked an increase of over 3,600 units from the same period last year when the first wave of Covid-19 had hit the country, according to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA).

The sale of passenger and commercial vehicles were respectively up 55 percent and 66 percent year-on-year, it said.

The Truong Hai Auto Corporation (Thaco) led sales with a year-on-year increase of 73 percent to 35,389 units, followed by Toyota with 18,973 units, up 15 percent.

Mitsubishi, Honda and Ford made up the rest of the top five auto sellers in the first quarter.

Hyundai Accent continued to be the best-selling car with 2,150 units sold in April, followed by Toyota Vios and VinFast Fadil.

Auto sales had fallen by 8 percent to 296,634 units last year as the pandemic hit people's incomes and discretionary spending.