S.Korea Becomes Largest Auto Exporter to Vietnam in Jan-Apr
South Korea automakers reportedly exported 8,200 units to Vietnam in the first four months this year, becoming the biggest automobile exporter to the Southeast Asian country, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
South Korea was followed by Japan with 1,400, China with 737 and the United States with 641, the agency said.
Vietnam was estimated to have spent US$517 million importing completely-built cars and auto parts during January-April period, down 50.9 per cent on year, the Government Statistics Office said.
In April, members of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (VAMA) could sell only 7,711 autos, a drop of 42 per cent over the same month in 2008 and a drop of 32 per cent from March this year.
Sales for almost all car companies saw reductions in April. Ford sales dropped by 59 per cent, Honda and Visuco sales dropped by 55 per cent and 46 per cent, respectively. Mercedes Benz Vietnam was the only company to see a sales increase in April.
Analysts predicted that the import volumes and sales will increase in May, because Vietnam has halved auto registration fees since the beginning of May. The new registration fee is now 6 per cent. (VNS)
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