Small A-class car segment is gradually becoming more active again

Vietnam is one of the first countries to receive the all-new Toyota Wigo.

Specifically, 2022 saw Toyota Wigo and Honda Brio temporarily stop selling due to not meeting Euro 5 emission standards, VinFast Fadil was discontinued, and KIA Morning production was extremely low. Many objective factors also "added fuel to the fire", including competitive pressure from new high-chassis small cars with many new technologies, typically Toyota Raize and KIA Sonet.

The mounting difficulties have caused the low-slung A-segment to plummet. The only model that has remained for many months is the Hyundai Grand i10, but its sales have not been outstanding. In that context, the appearance of the Toyota Wigo in June, information about the new generation of the KIA Morning, the VF5 officially reaching consumers, along with a series of huge promotions for familiar faces, such as the Hyundai Grand i10, has led many to believe that the segment has been "awakened".

As the only A-class small car from Japan available in Vietnam at the moment, Wigo returns with 2 versions E MT and G D-CVT priced at 360 and 405 million VND respectively. What's special is that the starting price of the car is set at the exact threshold of Hyundai Grand i10. Currently, the Korean car has 6 versions, with prices ranging from 360 million VND to 455 million VND.

Image of the new generation KIA Morning (also known as Picanto) 2024.

Meanwhile, the positive reaction from the community to the images of the new KIA Morning (2024) shows that this will also be a strong competitor when it appears in Vietnam in the near future. The exterior design of the Morning 2024 is inspired by the large electric SUV KIA EV9. The KIA Morning 2024 is expected to still have 2 engine options: 1.2L 4-cylinder naturally aspirated with 83 horsepower and 122 Nm of torque and 1.0L 3-cylinder turbocharged with 100 horsepower and 172 Nm of torque.

In fact, from the perspective of car manufacturers, the A-segment has never been neglected, because the market potential is still large. Easy to control, cheap, flexible in crowded urban areas - especially in Asia... are "unrivaled" advantages. This segment in Vietnam is also forecasted to grow strongly. "Car buyers (in Vietnam) are getting younger. They prioritize looking for products with quality and reasonable prices. Therefore, we chose to bring a completely new product in the A-hatchback segment, with good performance and good price", a representative of Toyota Vietnam shared.

However, some experts also pointed out that the A-class models that are returning now have many differences compared to before. Instead of being positioned as a vehicle to meet the minimum travel needs, this product line is gradually shifting to a fully equipped personal vehicle in a modern urban environment.

The first VinFast VF5s have begun to appear on the streets.

This is easily seen on the new Wigo, in addition to the completely renovated design in a youthful and sporty direction, there is also the addition of a series of active safety features such as blind spot warning BSM, rear cross traffic alert RCTA, hill start assist HAC, electronic balance VSC...

Financial packages are also adjusted to suit the young customer group, especially those who have just started working and have moderate income. The financial incentives applied by Toyota for the new Wigo only require consumers to pay 54 million VND in advance to be able to take the car home. This package is similar to what Hyundai is implementing with the basic Grand i10 version. Even the most advanced version of the Grand i10 only requires car buyers to pay 65 million VND in advance.

Clearly, a new segment “war” has really begun.

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