Auto sales hit a 20-year record in 2016. The  2017 sales volume is expected to some 10 per cent higher than that of 2016.— Photo minhkiet.com

Automobile sales in 2016 reached 304,427 units, the highest level recorded by Viet Nam’s auto market in the past 20 years, the Vietnam Automobiles Manufacturers’ Association (VAMA) announced on Wednesday.

The figure is much higher than the previous records of 244,914 units in 2015 and 160,000 vehicles in 2009.

According to VAMA, in December alone, the sales of automobiles in the domestic market were 33,925 units, up 17 per cent from November, of which 23,565 vehicles were assembled locally and 9,730 were imported.

The sales of locally-assembled vehicles increased by 32 per cent in 2016, while the sales of imported ones went up five per cent.

Truong Hai Auto Corporation (Thaco) accounted for the largest market share of 41.5 per cent, with 112,847 vehicles sold in 2016. Japan’s Toyota sold 57,036 units, making up 21 per cent of the market share, while Ford Vietnam’s sales were 29,011, equivalent to 10.7 per cent of the market share.

VAMA has forecast that the 2017 sales volume will be some 10 per cent higher than that of 2016.

Motorbike sales surge

The sales of motorbikes exceeded more than 1.67 million units in the second half of 2016, raising the year’s total number to over 3.12 million, up 9.5 per cent from 2015.

The Vietnam Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers reported that its members, namely Honda, Piaggio, Suzuki, SYM and Yamaha, produced 55 models during the year.

Honda Vietnam accounted for 70 per cent of the market share, with sales of over 2.14 million units, up seven per cent from the previous year.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the country’s motorbike output exceeded 3.39 million units, up 3.2 per cent from 2015. — VNS