High chassis cars are creating a new attraction for Vietnamese customers.
The first three months of 2024 continue to witness the strong rise of high-riding vehicles, in the context that domestic consumers continue to prioritize choosing SUVs, crossovers and multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs)... instead of sedans or hatchbacks. According to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA), in the first quarter of 2024, the popular car segment only saw 8,367 sedans and 346 hatchbacks reach consumers.
Meanwhile, the consumption of SUVs, crossovers, and MPVs is much "huge", corresponding to 13,133 vehicles, 5,247 vehicles and 8,143 vehicles. Thus, the number of high chassis passenger cars consumed is more than 7 times that of low chassis models in the first 3 months of this year.
Among the 10 best-selling car models in the first quarter of this year, there are 7 high-clearance models, with prominent names such as Mitsubishi XForce, Ford Ranger or Mazda CX-5. Some brands such as Suzuki or Mitsubishi continue to see high chassis vehicles accounting for nearly all of the total number of vehicles sold.
Thus, after just over a year, the position of high- and low-clearance cars has completely changed. Previously, in 2022, sedans still led sales with 90,984 units sold, while SUVs only reached 85,984 units. According to many opinions, Vietnamese customers tend to favor higher chassis vehicles thanks to the advantages of spacious size and easy movement through bad roads and flooded roads.
In the past period, sales of high chassis vehicles have increased sharply with a significant contribution from the MPV product range, especially the "Cross" variants, which are increasingly purchased thanks to their convenience, practicality, when it can both serve the needs of the family and be suitable for service business...
Meanwhile, small high-riding cars such as KIA Sonet, Toyota Raize, and Hyundai Venue are also being introduced more and more, significantly enriching choices. These models are also compact and suitable for urban areas, unlike many previous massive SUVs. This is the reason why some automobile manufacturers in Vietnam recorded that in the period 2023-2024, the proportion of first-time car buyers choosing SUVs, crossovers, and MPVs increased compared to previous years. .
The popularity of high-clearance cars means that the market share of "low-clearance" cars is increasingly narrowing, currently there are only 4 outstanding faces: Hyundai Accent, Honda City, Toyota Vios and some Mazda products. Among these, the Korean sedan has the leading sales, reaching 2,248 vehicles in the first 3 months of 2024, slightly higher than Honda City's 2,165 vehicles.
Current reality also shows that Mazda and Honda City are chosen by family consumers, while Vios and Accent mainly serve customer groups in the field of passenger transport services. Changing tastes of Vietnamese consumers force manufacturers to develop high-clearance vehicle products. Some manufacturers currently only sell cars of this group, such as VinFast, Ford..., while the proportion of sedans and hatchbacks is decreasing in the product portfolios of Hyundai, KIA, Toyota, Subaru...
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In the pure electric car segment, most new car models in the past year from VinFast, Mercedes-Benz or BMW... are all high chassis. With the change in customer choice trends, it can be affirmed that the high-clearance car segments will grow strongly in the coming time.
