(Dan Tri) – Eye-catching design, lots of equipment and low price are the advantages of Chinese cars, but quality and after-sales policy are still points that make many Vietnamese users worried.
With the development of society, cars are increasingly becoming the means of transportation that Vietnamese people turn to, from family service to business and service operations.
Grasping the growing needs of customers, car companies continuously launch new products as well as upgrade existing car lines to keep up with user tastes.
Many Chinese auto brands are preparing to `arrive`
In 2023, the Vietnamese market continues to attract many new car manufacturers.
The first is Chery, which appeared in our country in 2009 but gradually disappeared in 2013 due to sales not meeting expectations.
Chery has had a Vietnamese Facebook fanpage since the end of April 2022, the posted content revolves around new car models and some hidden articles about to return to Vietnam (Photo: Chery).
In recent years, many products from Chinese brands such as Zotye, BAIC or Beijing have been continuously brought to Vietnam, attracting the attention of a segment of customers thanks to their eye-catching designs and equipment.
Realizing that users have reduced many prejudices against Chinese cars, along with confidence in their product range, Chery plans to once again return to the Vietnamese market, possibly as soon as this year.
However, it is still unclear when this car company will officially launch in our country, it seems that Chery is still looking for a distributor.
Some rumors say Chery will introduce the Omoda 5 EV in Vietnam (Photo: Chery).
Similar to Chery, Haima will return to Vietnam this year with a new distributor.
In mid-February 2023, Haima signed a cooperation agreement with CarVivu company.
Haima 8S (Photo: Haima).
In particular, Haima 8S belongs to the C-size CUV segment, competing directly with Hyundai Tucson and Mazda CX-5, while 7X is a mid-range MPV, competing with Toyota Innova.
Notably, the Haima 7X-E is a pure electric version of the 7X, possessing an electric motor with a maximum capacity of 201 horsepower and maximum torque of 340 Nm.
Haima 7X (Photo: Haima).
In China, the Haima 7X-E has the highest conversion price of up to 900 million VND, so when it returns to Vietnam, the selling price of this electric MPV model may exceed 1 billion VND.
Haima 7X-E (Photo: Haima).
Haima 7X-E is not the only Chinese electric car model that will `land` in Vietnam this year.
According to the plan, Wuling Hongguang Mini EV will be assembled at TMT’s Cuu Long automobile factory located in Van Lam, Hung Yen from the second quarter of this year.
Wuling Hongguang Mini EV is China’s best-selling electric car model with sales of more than 550,000 units in 2022.
Wuling Hongguang Mini EV attracts customers in the Chinese market thanks to its low price and compact size, suitable for urban environments (Photo: Wuling).
The car has a length, width and height of 2,917 mm, 1,493 mm and 1,621 mm respectively, smaller than an A-class car like Kia Morning.
According to the manufacturer’s announcement, this version has an operating range of about 170 km on a full charge.
Equipment on the Macaron version is at a basic level with an airbag for the driver, ABS anti-lock brakes, electronic brake force distribution EBD, reversing camera, parking sensors, tire pressure warning, and person detection.
Interior of Wuling Hongguang Mini EV (Photo: Wuling).
Not only attracting Chinese car manufacturers, the Vietnamese auto market also attracts a car company from Europe: Skoda.
In October 2022, Skoda signed a strategic cooperation agreement with TC Motor to build an assembly factory located in Ha Long (Quang Ninh), expected to come into operation from 2024 with a capacity of up to 120,000 vehicles.
Skoda has a website in Vietnam, promising to launch in April 2023 (Photo: Skoda Vietnam).
However, this year, specifically in April 2023, Skoda will officially launch to Vietnamese customers with the `introduction` of four products in the C/D class sedan and SUV segment, including: Octavia
All four of these car models will be imported complete units from Europe.
Skoda’s imported European cars will have difficulty having attractive prices because they are not tax exempt (Photo: Top Gear).
Potential of Vietnam’s automobile market
Just like international markets, Vietnamese car buyers are increasingly younger.
A-size SUV models target mainly young customers or small families without strong financial potential (Photo: Toyota).
The increasingly youthful customer base comes with an increase in demand for car ownership.
Not only are there many opportunities to develop market share, Vietnam also applies many automobile support policies.
Registration exemption incentives help VinFast electric vehicles attract the attention of many customers (Photo: VinFast).
This policy helps Vietnamese customers boldly approach electric vehicles and is also the factor that makes many Chinese car manufacturers decide to bring pure electric cars to our country even though they have not yet developed a public charging station system.
Compared to cars from the US, Japan or Korea, Chinese cars are more accessible to younger customers thanks to their eye-catching designs and attractive prices.
Beijing X7 can be considered the most successful Chinese car model in Vietnam, attracting users thanks to its design, equipment and price (Photo: Kylin).
Although Vietnamese customers have become more open to products from China, most still have concerns about the new brand as well as after-sales policy because after all, cars are still highly valuable items.
In general, Chinese car models will still need time to prove their quality and conquer the `hearts` of the majority of Vietnamese users.
