Automobile sales in Vietnam down 13% in August

In terms of vehicle origins, 12,064 locally-assembled cars were sold in the month, down 13%. Deliveries of completely-built units (CBUs) also dropped by 13% to 13,132 over a month earlier.

They included 19,129 passenger vehicles, down 16%; 5,901 commercial vehicles, up 1%; and 166 special purpose ones, down 23% from July.

During the eight-month span, VAMA members sold a total of 188,997 autos, a year-on-year rise of 2%, with the sales of domestically produced units falling 11% and imported vehicles rising 21% year-on-year.

The numbers of passenger, commercial, and special purpose vehicles respectively increased 2%, 4%, and 1% from a year earlier, VAMA said.

Many brands which are not VAMA members are also present in the Vietnamese market, including Audi, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Subaru, but they do not reveal their business results.

According to insiders, the Vietnamese market will have a more positive outlook in the coming months as the Government's preferential policy of halving registration fees takes effect for three months starting from September.

In addition, car dealers are offering promotion programs to attract buyers.