What’s Happening with the Kia Morning?

Once a top-selling model in the Vietnamese market, the Kia Morning is now a prime example of the shrinking market share of the A-segment.

As the only A-segment car – including both low-riding and SUV variants – to experience a sales decline in March, the Kia Morning also made it to the list of the 10 slowest-selling cars. What’s happening to this affordable Kia model in Vietnam?

The Only Slow-Selling Affordable Car

Setting aside the Honda Civic Type R, which had zero sales in March, the Kia Morning is the car that brought up the rear in the list of the 10 slowest-selling cars. With 31 units sold to Vietnamese customers, this was the model’s worst performance so far this year.

The Kia Morning was also the only A-segment car to witness a sales decline in the first quarter. All other A-segment cars, from low-riding models like the Hyundai Grand i10 and Toyota Wigo to SUVs such as the Kia Sonet, Toyota Raize, and Hyundai Venue, experienced sales growth.

Among its low-riding A-segment peers, the Hyundai Grand i10 took the top spot with 361 units sold. The Toyota Wigo followed with 171 units sold to Vietnamese customers.

The Kia Sonet continued to lead the sales of A-segment SUVs with 463 units delivered to customers in March. The Hyundai Venue, with 313 units sold, continued to outsell the Toyota Raize (308 units) despite the latter’s recent price increase.

Wrapping up the first quarter, the Kia Sonet was the best-selling A-segment car with 1,279 units sold. The Hyundai Grand i10 recorded sales of 798 units, while the Toyota Raize and Hyundai Venue trailed with 772 and 636 units sold since the beginning of the year, respectively.

The Kia Morning temporarily held the title of the slowest-selling A-segment car with 119 units sold in the first quarter. The Toyota Wigo recorded cumulative sales of 505 units, equivalent to over 168 units per month.

The Future of Small Gasoline Cars

Before landing on the slow-selling list, the Kia Morning had already faced a reduction in its variant lineup in Vietnam. Currently, this A-segment model is only available in two versions: the MT and X-Line, priced at 349 million and 424 million VND, respectively.

The Kia Morning is now limited to two variants in Vietnam, one of which is the X-Line priced at 424 million VND. Photo: Tu Duc.

The Toyota Wigo faced a similar fate, as the E variant equipped with a manual transmission was discontinued. Currently, this A-segment model imported from Indonesia is only available in the G variant, priced at 405 million VND.

Toyota Wigo’s move can be seen as a way to eliminate a variant that was less favored by Vietnamese customers. On the other hand, Kia Morning might soon introduce an upgraded version to boost sales, as its lackluster performance has been a persistent issue.

Last year, the Kia Morning sold 771 units throughout the year. In 2024, its monthly sales never surpassed the 100-unit mark.

The decline of the Kia Morning inadvertently exemplifies the shrinking market share of affordable A-segment cars in Vietnam.

Setting aside the A-segment SUVs, the group of low-riding affordable cars in Vietnam currently consists of only three representatives: the Hyundai Grand i10, Toyota Wigo, and Kia Morning.

The A-segment low-riding car market in Vietnam has a limited number of players. Photos: TC Motor, TMV.

In 2024, the Hyundai Grand i10 dominated the segment with sales of 5,831 units. The Toyota Wigo concluded the year with 2,659 units delivered to Vietnamese customers, while the Kia Morning trailed with 771 units sold.

The market share of affordable low-riding cars is being impacted by models from adjacent segments, such as A-segment SUVs, B-segment sedans, and some representatives from the small and medium MPV segments.

The future of A-segment low-riding cars is even more challenged by the wave of electrification.

Urban electric car options like the Wuling Mini EV (starting at 197 million VND), Wuling Bingo (from 399 million VND), VinFast VF 3 (299 million VND), and VinFast VF 5 (529 million VND) are considered novel and attractive alternatives to small gasoline cars in Vietnam.

Vietnamese customers now have a wide range of affordable electric car choices. Photos: TMT Motors, VinFast.

Last year, the VinFast VF 5 claimed the sales crown in the overall market, with over 32,000 units sold to Vietnamese customers. The VF 3 also had a successful year, selling more than 25,000 units despite being launched in August 2024.

In summary, the Kia Morning, and by extension, the small gasoline low-riding A-segment cars, are facing significant challenges. The Vietnamese market still has room for this segment, as evidenced by the relatively stable sales of the Hyundai Grand i10. However, small gasoline cars might soon have to cede their playground to urban electric vehicles.

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