Grab responds when pointed out to be at a disadvantage against electric vehicles; What about Be Group and Vinasun?

(Dan Tri) - Regarding the report about Xanh SM surpassing its market share, Grab Vietnam said it had sent a document to the reporting unit. Be Group, Vinasun... also spoke up.

According to the latest report published in the first quarter of this year by Mordor Intelligence, a market research firm, Green SM, a subsidiary of GSM, reached 39.85% market share – surpassing Grab (35.57%) to become the leading player in the Vietnamese taxi market. A similar report published in the fourth quarter of 2024 showed that Green SM had overtaken Grab's taxi segment.

On September 4th, Grab Vietnam's media representatives unexpectedly issued a statement responding to market research reports on passenger taxi services published by Mordor Intelligence for Q4 2024, Q1 2025, and Q2 2025.

Grab Vietnam stated that they have never discussed or provided any business information, transaction data, or market assessments to Mordor Intelligence or any third party. Over the past few months, they have been in direct contact with Mordor Intelligence to gain a deeper understanding and clarify the data sources and survey methodologies used.

Grab points out that the reports are primarily based on assumptions and estimates of the overall gross merchandise value (GMV) of taxi companies, thereby assuming GMV for the passenger taxi business alone, assuming GMV separately for each of the two-wheeled and four-wheeled service segments… without verifiable or reliable data sources.

These assumptions and estimates are also based on information from some former employees of the companies, gathered through online interviews, suggesting that market information and data are likely outdated.

The organization stated that it has reason to believe that reports on the Vietnamese passenger taxi market published by Mordor Intelligence used unverified data sources and inadequate research methods, leading to inaccurate conclusions.

"This has led to the risk of confusing consumers, sending inaccurate signals to the market, and potentially leading stakeholders down ineffective business directions," Grab Vietnam concluded.

The platform stated that it had sent formal legal documents to Mordor Intelligence, requesting them to retract the aforementioned reports in order to reassess and improve their methodology, and to support their conclusions with reliable and verifiable market information and data sources.

Moder Intelligence's Q1/2025 taxi market share report (Image: Screenshot).

What did the other parties say?

Ride-hailing is one of the hottest growth markets in Vietnam, including major players like Grab, Be Group, and Xanh SM. In a recent development, while Gojek withdrew from the market, the ride-hailing industry was shaken earlier this year when newcomer Bolt showed signs of readiness to enter Vietnam.

A representative from a "newcomer" car manufacturer said they work with Moder Intelligence, but they don't know the specific methodology used in their reports.

Conversely, the traditional taxi company Vinasun claims that it has never worked with or provided any data to Moder Intelligence.

In line with this view, a representative from Be Group also confirmed to Dan Tri reporters that the company has never worked with or provided any data to Moder Intelligence.

“We respect independent research, but we do not share GMV or sensitive business data with any market research organization without a strict confidentiality agreement. Be did not cooperate with Mordor Intelligence in providing data for the reports in question; any figures related to Be in those reports are estimates from the research firm,” a representative from the firm stated.

This representative also added that Be Group does not comment on third-party disputes. The company's consistent stance is that any market share comparison must adhere to a unified scope and measurement methodology, for example, 2-wheel/4-wheel; ride-hailing platforms versus fleet operators; GMV, number of trips, active users; B2C/B2B, etc. Relying on assumptions from unverified sources can easily lead to misleading conclusions due to the diverse and complex nature of the products.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/grab-phan-phao-khi-bi-neu-that-the-truoc-xe-dien-be-group-vinasun-ra-sao-20250904161448030.htm