The Viet Nam automobile market was reported to be gradually heating up in recent months. However, the extent of the recovery remained unclear.— Illustrative image/Photo autopro

HA NOI (VNS)— The Viet Nam automobile market was reported to be gradually heating up in recent months. However, the extent of the recovery remained unclear.

 

The assessment was made by the Viet Nam Automobile Manufacturer's Association (VAMA) which also reported that sales of automobiles in April rose 4.8 per cent over March and 26 per cent over the same month last year, totaling more than 8,780 units.

For the four-month period, more than 30,410 units were sold, an increase of 3 per cent over the same period last year.

Members of VAMA also reported stable growth in April.

Toyota led the market with sales of 2,772 cars (up 14 per cent), followed by Thaco Truong Hai with 2,270 units (up 11.2 per cent) and Ford with nearly 700 units (up 38 per cent).

In terms of one-month growth, VinaMazda, with sales of 225 cars, reported the highest growth (more than 700 per cent), followed by Ford (216 per cent), Mercedes-Benz (153 per cent) and Toyota (63 per cent).

An increase in demand for automobiles in recent months helped push up sales, said Truong Kim Phong, sales and marketing dire ctor of Ford Viet Nam.

A deputy director of a car manufacturer's sales department attributed the increase in car sales to the April 1 registration fees cut, which reduced fees from 15-20 per cent to 10-15 per cent, saying this encouraged buyers, together with the loosened credits for automobiles.

VAMA raised its prediction of total car sales this year from 100,000 to about 103,000. However, the association said the recovery remained unclear, pointing out that April sales were 32 per cent lower than the same month in 2011. — VNS