Automaker Nissan Vietnam has declared a temporary shutdown as from April 5 amid the complex developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The warnings about bad air quality in Hanoi and HCM City given by forecasting centers in late 2019 could lead to a stronger electric motorbike market.

The Vietnam Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (VAMM) reported gloomy figures for the last months of 2019, a time when the industry typically expects a boom in sales revenue.

Vietnam maintained its position as the world’s 4th largest motorcycle market despite a double-digit drop in June sale, according to motorcyclesdata.com website.

Thousands of fake motor parts imitating the two leading motorcycle manufacturers Honda and Yamaha were found by Lang Son province authorities, showing that counterfeit and fake goods are growing into a serious social issue.

The Vietnam Motor Show 2019 (VMS 2019) will be held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre from October 23-27.

The Vietnamese electric motorbike market is seeing the participation of more and more domestic and foreign manufacturers.

The massive import of cheap cars did not occur in 2018 as predicted, but sales in 2018 were still satisfactory, especially domestically sold cars.

VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnamese consumers thought if importers could satisfy the strict requirements stipulated in Decree 116, they would be able to buy cars at reasonable prices. That hasn’t happened. 

VietNamNet Bridge - Having expanded by 13 times in the last 20 years, the domestic motorbike market remains hot with new models equipped with the most advanced technologies launched every year.

VietNamNet Bridge - The gear motorbike market segment has become cramped with many models priced up to VND20 million. 

In the face of rapid expansion of well-known brands, less strong brands such as Suzuki, Piaggio, SYM and Kymco are targeting niche markets to improve sales.

VietNamNet Bridge - Despite tariff cuts and low import prices, Vietnamese still have to pay high prices to buy cars because of high taxes and fees.

VietNamNet Bridge - Honda Vietnam has denied that 2,000-3,000 workers at its factory in Vinh Phuc province have been laid off.

 Honda Motor Co (7267.T) on Thursday said it was recalling about 668,000 vehicles in Japan to replace air bag inflators supplied by Takata Corp (7312.T), as part of an expanded nationwide recall announced earlier this year.

VietNamNet Bridge - Honda, the largest motorbike manufacturer in Vietnam, in a recent report, said the motorbike market would not see growth next year. 

 Honda Motor Co on Monday said it had not made any announcements on additional air bags recalls after the Nikkei newspaper reported it would recall at least 20 million more of the safety devices made by Takata Corp

VietNamNet Bridge - Though the Vietnamese motorbike market is becoming saturated, manufacturers still make big profits with 3 million products bought every year.

 The motorcycle market will continue to grow this year albeit at a marginal rate, according to manufacturers.