Japanese motorbike makers in Vietnam said sales were up slightly this year despite the fact that consumers have been grappling with high inflation.
Yasuhiro Imazato, director of Honda Vietnam's office in HCM City, said his company sold around 690,000 motorbikes in the first seven months, a 20% year-onyear rise.
A Suzuki Vietnam official, who wished to remain unnamed, said sales in the seven-month period increased by 15% to 30,000 units, though Suzuki had originally forecast a 30-40% annual sales jump.
Consumers were hit by inflation and not many were able to afford new bikes as hoped, he explained.
If it had not been for various promotional campaigns launched by bike makers, sales could even have dropped, he said.
Yamaha Vietnam said sales increased in the first seven months compared to the same period last year.
A company source, however, said without elaborating that the sales figure was not as good as expected.
The Japanese motorbike makers said they consider Vietnam a market with great potential though the country is still grappling with inflation.
They have introduced many new models recently as a measure to attract young consumers, especially in big cities.
The Suzuki official said though the company has lowered its full year sales target, it believes the final figure would still be a new high.
Imazato said Asia and Oceania are fast-growing markets for Honda motorbikes, buying a total of 9.5 million units last year.
Koji Onishi, general director of Honda Vietnam, said Vietnam has become the largest market for Honda motorbikes.
The company, established in Vietnam in 1996, sold its five million unit last month.
Imazato said Honda would open its second factory at the end of this month, adding 500,000 units to its current capacity of one million bikes per year. Honda plans to sell 1.3 million bikes this year in a market of 2.7 million dominated by the Japanese. Last year 2.2 million bikes were sold.
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