Vietnam‘s Q1 car sales jump 30 pct y/y-industry

Car sales in Vietnam in the first quarter jumped 30 percent from the same period last year to 27,896 units, while a Vietnamese car maker surpassed Toyota in sales last month, the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association (VAMA) said on Wednesday.

The number of cars sold in March alone increased 1 percent from a year earlier to 9,513, the association said in its monthly report. The data did not contain figures from Vinamotor, although VAMA gave no explanation.

Sales by the Vietnamese firm Truong Hai, which assembles vehicles including South Korean KIAs, exceeded Toyota's for the first time, reaching 3,085 units in March, up 29.9 percent from a year ago , the report said.

Toyota sold 2,357 units during the month, it said.