Auto sales plunge in February

Clients check imported cars at a showroom in Tay Ho District, Ha Noi. Total car sales last month dropped 53 per cent from the previous month with 4,325 units being sold, consisting of 1,620 cars and 2,633 trucks. — VNS Photo Truong Vi

HA NOI (VNS)— Total car sales last month dropped 53 per cent from the previous month with 4,325 units being sold, consisting of 1,620 cars and 2,633 trucks.

The figure was released by the Viet Nam Automobile Manufacturers' Association (VAMA), which reported that of that figure locally assembled cars totalled 3,439 units (down 61 per cent) while imported vehicles, 841 (down 50 per cent).

VAMA members alone sold 3,679 vehicles last month, just half of January's figure.

VAMA attributed the fall to the high demand for vehicles in January ahead of the Tet holiday and the low demand immediately afterwards. They added that February was a very short month, which also negatively affected the figures.

VAMA Chairman Laurent Charpentier acknowledged that the sales for the first two months of 2013 were down 1 per cent from the previous year, but warned against undue pessimism.

Revenue in the first month of this year was extremely low due to an increase in registration fees introduced on January 1, he said.

Japanese Toyota retained its top position in sales last month, with 1,337 units sold, followed by Vietnamese car maker Truong Hai.

Ford Viet Nam ranked third, but retail sales rose more than 63 per cent year-on-year to 351 vehicles, the highest increase recorded by any carmaker.

Its strong February performance allowed Ford to capture 8.3 per cent of the overall vehicle market for the month.

VAMA has projected that overall car sales this year will rise 8 per cent from 2012 to about 100,000 vehicles. — VNS