New car battle in the year-end automotive market.

Over the past two months, a surge of completely new or upgraded car models have been launched onto the market, spanning all existing categories and segments.

The highlight of the market recently was the Vietnam Motor Show 2014.

The last few months of the year are always the hottest period for the Vietnamese automobile market. The end of 2014 was no exception, even experiencing unprecedented activity, at least in the last five years.

No one is willing to give way to luxury cars.

The highlight of the market recently was the Vietnam Motor Show 2014. According to statistics, 103 car models were showcased at the largest auto show of the year, including more than 20 new models.

The first thing that caught attention was the luxury brand segment. At the exhibition, Audi simultaneously launched three models: the A3 Sportback, A7 Sportback, and the upgraded TT Coupe.

Euro Auto, the distributor, is also heating up the market for fully imported vehicles with two new models: the BMW 428i Gran Coupe and the MINI Cabriolet Cooper.

Having only officially entered the Vietnamese market through authorized distributors less than a year ago, Lexus, with its long-standing status as a popular luxury brand, has asserted its strength by showcasing six models simultaneously. Most notably is the completely new GX460.

In the niche sports car segment, Porsche and Jaguar are not to be outdone. While the German brand heated up the narrow segment with the all-new compact SUV Macan and the renowned new-generation Cayenne S sports car, Jaguar, the British brand, surprised everyone with the F-Type S and XJL.

Although they had already launched several models sporadically since the beginning of the year, Mercedes-Benz still managed to introduce two new models, the GLA and the S500 Coupe, at the exhibition.

Even in the ultra-luxury segment, the renowned Rolls-Royce brand managed to bring the Ghost Series II to Vietnam at the beginning of December, and before that, the completely new Wraith.

Regular cars clash head-on

The most challenging market is probably the mass-market car market, especially the segments that are popular with Vietnamese consumers.

Take the mid-size car segment as an example. After the all-new Toyota Corolla Altis was launched in mid-October, its arch-rival, the new version of the Honda Civic, also arrived in mid-November. Even more interestingly, in early December, another model considered to be a strong competitor, also from Japan, the Mazda3, joined the competition.

In every respect, these are excellent value-for-money cars. The competition is fierce in every aspect, from new design languages ​​to advanced features and technology.

According to consumer reviews, if Ford Vietnam had also upgraded the Focus around the same time, the competition would have become even more intense. However, the "all-new" Focus generation was only recently launched, so this American model still retains its competitive advantages over its rivals.

But the most talked-about segment is the small car market.

After the 2014 Chevrolet Spark appeared and restarted the exciting race, Hyundai Thanh Cong quickly brought the Grand i10 generation, imported directly from India, to Vietnam. Not to be outdone, Hyundai's South Korean counterpart, Kia, also immediately added the Morning Si versions, thereby increasing the Morning collection in the Vietnamese market to nine versions.

The market and the 150,000 milestone.

While not truly creating a major stir, a series of new car models launched recently deserve mention. The appearance of these models across various segments has contributed to a spectacular market picture in the latter part of the year.

Notably, Mitsubishi entered the 5-seater SUV segment with the all-new Outlander Sport, officially competing with the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson, and Kia Sportage; in the 7-seater MPV segment, at the same time that Kia replaced its previously weak Carens with the new Rondo, Suzuki created a stir by launching the brand-new Ertiga with the lowest retail price on the market…

Even the less flamboyant French car brands, after Citroen quietly stepped aside, gave Renault and Peugeot even more opportunities to showcase their hidden strengths. In mid-October, Peugeot simultaneously launched four new models: the 208, 3008, 508, and RCZ. At the beginning of December, Renault also immediately imported the Megane Hatchback, a compact car, as a complete unit from Türkiye.

Overall, considering market purchasing power, although the monthly growth rate since the beginning of the year has not been strong, compared to the same period last year, the market is clearly very hot this year.

According to the latest report from the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA), total automobile sales across the market for the first 11 months of 2014 reached 137,602 units, a 41% increase compared to the same period in 2013. Consequently, the association officially raised its forecast for total sales for the whole year of 2014 to 150,000 units.

But given the bustling atmosphere of the final months of the year, this forecast seems somewhat modest.

According to VnEconomy