What will happen to the Thaco "family" with Ram and Jeep?

After much speculation, two distinctly American car brands, Ram and Jeep, have been officially confirmed to join the Thaco Auto family alongside Kia, Mazda, Peugeot, BMW, and MINI.

With the number of authorized car distributors nearing seven, Thaco Auto is currently one of the leading "powerful" names in the Vietnamese car market, alongside Tasco Auto and TC Motor.

Does Thaco need Ram and Jeep?

Prior to Ram and Jeep, Thaco Auto was already one of the big names in Vietnam's automotive industry, not only owning the Thaco bus and truck brands but also holding distribution rights and even having domestic assembly plants for international brands including Kia, Mazda, Peugeot, and BMW.

According to a report by the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA), by the end of 2025, Kia's market share within the association reached 8.7%, Mazda's was recorded at 10.4%, while Peugeot's sales accounted for approximately 0.8% of the total automobile sales recorded by VAMA.

Combined, this group of foreign brands still shares about 20% of the Vietnamese automobile market, not including luxury car brands, Chinese cars, or the consumption of purely electric vehicles.

However, the overall picture reveals a rather bleak situation for Thaco Auto in general and these foreign brands in particular.

Sales figures for "foreign" brands distributed by Thaco Auto.
Sales trends of Kia, Mazda, Peugeot, BMW, and MINI in Vietnam from 2022-2025 (Data: VAMA)
Label		2022	2023	2024	2025
Kia	car	60729	40773	34570	27176
Mazda		36052	35632	32601	32455
Peugeot		10175	3038	3490	2435
BMW and MINI		1298	2110	2077	2063

From a total sales figure of 108,254 vehicles recorded in 2022, overall sales of imported cars distributed by Thaco Auto have gradually decreased year by year, reaching 64,129 vehicles by the end of 2025.

Kia's decline is considered the main reason, but the overall downward trend in sales was also observed across other brands including Mazda, Peugeot, BMW, and MINI.

Current developments may explain why Thaco Auto needs a major product launch to improve its situation. With Ram and Jeep seeking new distributors, Thaco Auto seems to see an opportunity to refresh its brand image in the Vietnamese market, alongside other potentials related to vehicle assembly, and even the possibility of developing a new Vietnamese car brand for domestic consumers.

Ram - a pickup truck with a sporty, passenger-car-like style.

Just as the debate surrounding the fact that most pickup trucks in Vietnam are now considered pickup trucks had begun to subside, Thaco Auto teased the return of the Ram brand with the large Ram 1500 pickup truck. The vehicle comes in two versions, Rebel and RHO, with the highlight being the vehicle registration documents classifying it as a "passenger car/pickup truck".

Not only is the Ram 1500 the only vehicle in the large pickup truck segment, but it is also a rare case to date that is registered as a passenger pickup, rather than a pickup truck like other mid-size pickup models from Japan and the US currently on the market.

Therefore, despite its price certainly not being as cheap as the average for the mid-size pickup truck segment, the Ram 1500 is still eagerly awaited by the pickup truck enthusiast community as an expensive but worthwhile "toy".

The Ram 1500 Rebel large pickup truck boasts a massive body and rugged design. Photo: Phong Van.

And because it will be a "fun" vehicle, the Ram 1500 in particular, and any pickup truck bearing the sheep's head logo in Vietnam in the future, will likely not bring Thaco Auto the impressive sales figures that Kia and Mazda have achieved.

Ram's defining characteristic is its oversized, muscular pickup trucks, featuring a rugged and imposing design perfect for urban driving, equipped with powertrains and configurations designed to perform best on straight, wide, and uncrowded roads, or for off-road adventures with their owners.

Unlike Kia, Mazda, or even BMW, it is highly unlikely that Thaco Auto will be able to set up an assembly line for Ram pickup trucks in Vietnam.

The pickup truck brand owned by Stellantis will only be available in the Vietnamese market as a fully imported vehicle from the US. At this time, tariff agreements between the US and Vietnam could provide a basis for consumers to expect a price reduction for Ram trucks, although not a significant one.

Will Jeep be the "trump card"?

Unlike Ram's consistent product portfolio, Jeep is a more diverse brand, offering everything from fun cars and off-road vehicles to mainstream SUVs that can comfortably navigate Vietnamese city streets.

In its latest "teaser," Thaco Auto chose the legendary Jeep Wrangler off-road vehicle to introduce to Vietnamese customers. However, the product range of this American car brand is still quite extensive, featuring well-known names familiar to international customers such as the Jeep Compass, Jeep Cherokee, and even the electrified SUV Jeep Avenger.

The legendary Jeep Wrangler off-road vehicle has been chosen for the Jeep brand's comeback. Photo: Phong Van.

It's not out of the question that Thaco will soon bring the Cherokee line back to Vietnam. The possibility of the urban SUV segment welcoming representatives with a seven-slot grille is also plausible, depending on market developments and Thaco's strategy for the American brand.

Similar to Ram, Jeep models in Vietnam will initially be introduced by Thaco Auto as US imports. However, the potential for local assembly of Jeep is higher, and it is likely that Thaco has already identified a brand to launch a Jeep assembly line in Vietnam in the future.

Thanks to its diverse product portfolio, Jeep could become Thaco's trump card in its efforts to restructure and reshape its brand and product strategy.

Jeep certainly won't achieve the explosive sales figures of Kia or Mazda, but there's reason to believe this American brand will achieve similar, or even better, results than Peugeot, BMW, and MINI.

Is Thaco making a calculated, further move?

When Thaco Chairman Tran Ba Duong revealed plans to launch a Thaco-branded passenger car in 2027, the long-standing partnership between the group and a series of foreign car brands such as Kia, Mazda, Peugeot, as well as BMW and MINI, was mentioned.

Although it's not easy for big names to share technological secrets, Thaco Auto is believed to be able to leverage the knowledge gained from its years-long car assembly partnership to prepare for the launch of its new domestic brand.

With the launch date in 2027 coinciding with the group's 30th anniversary, Thaco clearly wants to be as well-prepared as possible for its upcoming passenger car brand. It's unclear whether this will be a model to showcase Thaco's technical capabilities or a brand focused on sales, but it's clear that Thaco seems very serious about this Vietnamese domestic car brand.

Thaco plans to launch a domestic car brand in 2027. Photo: Viet Linh.

And with Ram and Jeep now under the same roof, Thaco Auto has more "reference material" for launching its next domestic car brand. To a greater or lesser extent, the insights Thaco has gained from this partnership with a series of major brands are factors that allow consumers to have high expectations for a purely Vietnamese car brand like Thaco in the future.

However, as mentioned above, Thaco's plans for Ram and Jeep seem to focus more on assembly. Ram is almost impossible to localize, but Jeep could be the next foreign car brand that Thaco Auto will "localize" with a domestic assembly line.

Past events demonstrate how the strategy of partnering with Thaco for domestic assembly has benefited BMW in the Vietnamese market. From a position of chasing, BMW has been able to compete on par with, or even surpass, its German rival Mercedes-Benz after the 3-Series, 5-Series, X3, and X5 became locally assembled models, offering competitive pricing and a more reliable supply chain.

The Jeep Compass is considered a potential contender, alongside the Jeep Avenger, which Thaco may also consider as the electrification trend is rapidly developing in the Vietnamese market.

These are all car models that have made a mark on the international market, have received some attention in Vietnam, and if they switch to local assembly to achieve better prices, Thaco Auto can expect promising sales figures.

The Jeep Avenger is a notable electric vehicle from Jeep in international markets. Photo: Jeep.

Overall, the arrival of two new members, Ram and Jeep, within the Thaco Auto "family" raises many expectations for the future. The Vietnamese market will also eagerly anticipate new developments for Ram and Jeep, now that they are under the umbrella of one of the leading names in the Vietnamese automotive industry.

Thaco's advantages remain its deep understanding of the Vietnamese market across diverse segments, along with a nationwide network of dealerships and service centers, and strong financial resources from a diversified conglomerate.

The inclusion of Ram and Jeep into the Thaco "family" could be a leverage for the company's strong comeback in the market, and also act as a catalyst for Thaco's next moves in the purely electric vehicle, hybrid vehicle, and even a domestic Vietnamese passenger car brand.

Source: https://znews.vn/dai-gia-dinh-thaco-se-the-nao-voi-ram-va-jeep-post1654440.html