Are Vietnamese people starting to prefer pickup trucks over cars?

The domestic automobile market has witnessed a spectacular "turnaround" when pickup truck sales are surpassing those of small cars.

For a long time, the Vietnamese market has always favored small cars (sedans) or 5-7 seat SUVs such as Toyota Vios and Kia Morning.

Pickup trucks are getting more attention than cars.

Pickup trucks are the trend

Sales of small cars have always increased steadily over the years, even over the months. Specifically, Toyota Vios sales have always been at the top with a skyrocketing number of sales, rarely falling below 1,000 units/month in recent years. Toyota Vios is known as the "king of sales", beating all other products in the domestic market.

Similarly, the Kia Morning is also a small car product in the A-class car segment. This Korean brand car model stands out with its youthful, compact style, and especially, its selling price is one of the lowest in the market. Therefore, Kia Morning's sales are always stable at around 500 - 800 units/month.

However, recently, sales of small cars are being threatened by pickup trucks, such as Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton or Chevrolet Corolla.

According to a report by the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA), the entire Vietnamese automobile market consumed 21,942 new cars of all types, down 15% compared to the same period last year.

In the list of 10 best-selling car models in April 2017, some models have seen remarkable growth. For example, the model known as the "king of pickup trucks" Ford Ranger had sales of 1,167 vehicles, an increase of 80 vehicles compared to the previous month. In the first 4 months, the new Ranger reached more than 4,300 vehicles. This is an impressive number for a product in the pickup truck segment.

The auto market is experiencing many strong fluctuations.

Meanwhile, the top 10 best-selling car models in April 2017 also included the Chevrolet Colorado with sales of 339 units, an increase of one and a half times compared to the first quarter and more than four times the same period last year.

In contrast to the rise of pickup trucks, sales of small cars such as Toyota Vios are somewhat inferior to their competitors. In April, Toyota Vios' sales were nearly 100 units less than Ford Ranger's. This is an alarming signal for small cars in the face of the rise of pickup trucks.

Explain the cause

About 10 years ago, many people always thought that pickup trucks were like “donkeys” with a box in the back to carry goods in crowded cities. Part of the reason was because the design of pickup trucks was bulky and not really eye-catching, somewhat sloppy.

However, in just the past few years, the transformation in the design of pickup trucks has helped this vehicle line to be able to compete equally with small sedans or SUVs. Car manufacturers even favor upgrading the interior to serve urban customers.

One of the reasons for the boom of pickup trucks in Vietnam is the high chassis, suitable for all terrains, from hills to cities without encountering any obstacles.

Some top pickup models such as Ranger Wildtrak 3.2, Mazda BT-50 3.2 AT 4WD, Mitsubishi Triton 4x4 AT MIVEC,... are confident enough to crush small car models on the market.

One thing that cannot be ignored is that the engine of a pickup truck is always a bit stronger than that of a car. For example, in the price range of 700 million VND, the Colorado LTZ 4x4 MT stands out with its powerful 4-wheel drive, something that not all cars have.

One of the reasons for the boom of pickup trucks in Vietnam is the high chassis, suitable for all terrains, from hills to cities without encountering any obstacles.

According to Mr. Do Minh Hoang (Hanoi), a customer using the Ford Ranger line, “The only weakness of small cars such as Vios, Kia Morning or some models of Mazda2, 2s,... is low chassis, often collapsing, significantly affecting the life of the car. In addition, SUV or sedan lines are only suitable for driving in the city”./.

According to VOV