The Urban SUV – A Head Start for the ‘Rookie’

September saw the highest car sales in Vietnam so far this year, with a total of 36,585 cars of all types sold, according to a report by the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (VAMA).

Among these, the urban SUV group, with eight models, contributed 6,403 vehicles, with the “newcomer” Mitsubishi Xforce continuing to top the sales chart despite a dip in numbers.

# Xforce Remains Top-Selling SUV Despite Sales Dip

In August, the Mitsubishi Xforce’s sales peaked at 2,504 units sold to Vietnamese customers. In the last month of the third quarter, sales of this “newcomer” dipped to 1,821 vehicles, but the Mitsubishi Xforce remained the best-selling model in the B/B+ SUV segment.

The Hyundai Creta and Toyota Yaris Cross both witnessed increased sales in the first month of applying registration fee incentives. For the first time this year, the Hyundai Creta sold over 1,000 units in a month, while the Toyota Yaris Cross recorded sales of 979 vehicles in September.

Apart from the Mitsubishi Xforce, the Mazda CX-3 was the only other model in this segment to witness a sales decline in September.

All other B/B+ SUVs improved their sales performance. The Toyota Corolla Cross sold 801 units, the Honda HR-V sold 695 vehicles, and the Kia Seltos recorded sales of 681 vehicles.

The Mazda CX-3 and CX-30 continued to occupy the bottom spots in the sales chart, with sales of 193 and 165 units, respectively.

The B/B+ SUV segment didn’t benefit significantly from the registration fee incentives, as most models in this category are imported.

Only the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta are locally assembled, while the Mitsubishi Xforce and Toyota Yaris Cross are imported from Indonesia. The Toyota Corolla Cross, Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, and Mazda CX-30 are imported from Thailand.

# Early Victory for the “Newcomer”?

Before the arrival of the Mitsubishi Xforce and Toyota Yaris Cross, the urban SUV segment witnessed a two-horse race between the Toyota Corolla Cross and Hyundai Creta.

Last year, the Toyota Yaris Cross was launched, selling over 3,000 units in the last four months of the year while the Corolla Cross’ sales slipped.

When the Xforce went on sale in March, the Mitsubishi “newcomer” quickly became one of the best-selling models, not just in the urban SUV segment but in the overall market.

As of the end of September, the Mitsubishi Xforce has sold a cumulative total of 9,963 units, far surpassing the Toyota Yaris Cross’ sales of 6,898 vehicles.

The outcome of the sales race in the urban SUV segment seems all but decided, with victory going to the Mitsubishi Xforce.

A gap of over 3,000 units will be challenging to bridge in the remaining three months of the year, especially considering the Mitsubishi Xforce’s consistently strong sales performance in recent months.

Mitsubishi is also offering incentives on the Xforce, despite it being an imported model, in the form of a 50% registration fee support, equivalent to a value of VND 32-34 million. The Japanese automaker is also offering fuel vouchers worth VND 10-15 million for customers purchasing the Xforce Exceed and Ultimate versions.

Toyota is offering a 50% registration fee support for the Toyota Corolla Cross and Toyota Yaris Cross purchased in October. This program applies to both versions of the Yaris Cross but only to the gasoline-only version of the Corolla Cross, with incentives ranging from VND 33 million to VND 41 million depending on the model and version.

Toyota Yaris Cross benefits from a 50% registration fee incentive. Image: TMV.

After nine months, the Toyota Corolla Cross has sold 4,077 units in Vietnam and is now largely out of the sales race. Similarly, the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos have cumulative sales of 5,181 and 4,253 units, respectively, and are also out of contention.

The Honda HR-V also offers a 50% registration fee incentive, equivalent to a value of VND 35-43.5 million. While there were moments in the first quarter when the Honda HR-V outsold its rivals, the Thai-imported SUV has since lost ground, with cumulative sales of 4,024 units so far this year.

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