Mitsubishi's sales in march surged by nearly three times compared to the previous month. This significant growth was largely driven by the Xpander, the Japanese manufacturer's flagship model for several years.

Mitsubishi Xpander, including the Xpander Cross, sold 1,763 units, marking a 185% increase from february. This sales volume is more than double the combined sales of Toyota's Avanza and Veloz, which totaled 793 units. Consequently, the Mitsubishi product further solidified its position as Vietnam's best-selling small MPV.

Since their domestic assembly launch in late 2022, Toyota's MPV duo has not received significant design or equipment upgrades. In contrast, Mitsubishi has frequently introduced updates for both the Xpander and Xpander Cross. Overall, product appeal and dealer demand for these models have remained consistent.

Following the Japanese duo in sales are the two Korean models: the Kia Carens and Hyundai Stargazer. Both models also saw strong sales increases, doubling and tripling respectively compared to february, though their figures remain lower than the leading group. The slowest-selling models in the segment continue to be the Suzuki XL7, Honda BR-V, and Toyota Avanza.

After the first Quarter, the entire small MPV segment recorded 10,381 units sold, an increase of 13% compared to the same period in 2025. Among these, the Xpander led the segment with 4,391 units, experiencing a slight sales decrease of 3,6%. The Veloz achieved the highest growth rate at 86,4%, primarily due to its relatively low sales volume in Q1 2025.

Veloz and Xpander in Vietnam. Photo: TMV, Thanh Nhan

Currently, all small MPVs in Vietnam are gasoline-powered and originate from Japanese and Korean brands. Despite the rapidly growing electric vehicle wave in Vietnam, especially in segments catering to ride-hailing services, the small MPV group appears to be largely unaffected.

Moving up in size and price range, the mid-size MPV segment includes models such as: the Toyota Innova Cross, Hyundai Custin, and various Chinese gasoline and pure electric vehicles like the MG G50, BYD M6, and GAC M6 Pro. Notably, two pure electric models dominate both overall market sales and the entire MPV segment: the VinFast Limo Green and VF MPV 7.

Pham Trung