CBU auto imports exceed 50,000 units in Jan-Apr

This marked the first time that the country had imported up to 50,600 CBU cars of all kinds, worth an estimated US$1.14 billion, during the four-month period, according to the customs department.

Of these, cars with nine seats or less accounted for some 36,200 units, while the country imported 119 cars with more than nine seats and over 13,000 trucks. These automobiles were mainly imported from Thailand and Indonesia.

The skyrocketing number of CBU automobile imports was also reflected in the sales figures of local automobile traders.

According to data from the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, 60,300 locally assembled cars were sold in the first four months, falling 11% year-on-year, while sales of CBU automobiles rose by a staggering 202%, at over 38,900 units.

Statistics from the customs department also showed that imports of automobile parts and accessories totaled more than US$310 million last month, down 8.5% month-on-month. These automobile products were mainly imported from South Korea, China, Japan and Thailand.

In general, the country’s total import volume of car parts and accessories during the four-month period hit almost US$1.3 billion, up over 21% year-on-year. Meanwhile, the export volume of these items was worth US$2.82 billion, rising 4.5% against last year’s figure.