The COVID-19 pandemic caused a massive car sales plunge in the global automotive market. The automotive industry in Southeast Asian countries has also recorded a significant drop in car sales last 2020. The ASEAN Automotive Federation has recorded one of the worst collapses in car sales in the history of ASEAN countries last year.
However, there are still few notable cars that have strived amid the pandemic which helped ASEAN markets survive the economic crisis. Some of these cars retained their spot last year as the best-selling vehicle in their respective market, while some cars have made their way to the top.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the best-sellers of each country in Southeast Asia. Of note, there are some countries where we couldn’t find actual data for their best-selling car in 2020 including Timor-Leste, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Singapore.
Philippines: Toyota Vios
It's impossible to not spot one on Philippine roads
One can say that the Philippines is the home of Japanese car brand Toyota due to its popularity among Filipino car buyers. Needless to say, the Toyota Vios is the best-selling vehicle in the country in 2020 with 25,290 units sold. The Vios is Toyota’s challenger in the Philippine subcompact sedan segment, rivaling the likes of the Honda City and Mitsubishi Mirage G4. If you want to get a Toyota vehicle but have a limited budget, you can take a look at used cars.
Laos: Toyota Hilux
A popular choice among consumers who want a truck
Laos is another country dominated by Toyota. The Japanese car brand is followed by Korean carmaker Hyundai and American carmaker Ford, respectively. The country’s best-selling unit for 2020 is the Toyota Hilux with 2,817 units sold. Toyota’s pickup truck is also one of the most produced units not only in Southeast Asia, but also around the world last year including Australia.
Malaysia: Perodua Myvi
The only non-Japanese vehicle to top-off sales on this list
Perodua is Malaysia’s largest car manufacturer which was first launched in 1992. And in 2006, Perodua’s subcompact sedan entry, the Myvi, has been a constant best-seller on a year-to-year basis including in 2020. It is followed by the Axia hatchback and Bezza subcompact sedan in Perodua’s lineup. The Malaysian carmaker managed to sell a total of 220,163 units in 2020, recording a whopping 49.4-percent market share in the Malaysian automotive market.
Indonesia: Honda Brio
A sporty-looking hatchback at an affordable price
Honda’s hatchback, the Brio, made its way to the top of the Indonesian automotive market, selling a total of 40,879 units in 2020. The Honda Brio knocked the long-time running best-seller in the said market, the Toyota Avanza, off the number one spot which is now third in the list. The second best-selling car in the Indonesian automotive market last year is the Suzuki Carry which recorded 38,072 sales.
Vietnam: Toyota Vios
The Toyota Vios is popular in Southeast Asian automotive markets
The Toyota Vios tops both the Philippine and Vietnamese automotive markets. The Japanese carmaker managed to sell 29,891 Vios units in Vietnam, followed by the Hyundai Accent with 20,776 units sold.
>>> Related: 10 best car brands in the Philippines 2020 based on sales
Thailand: Isuzu D-Max
The new king of the hill
The Isuzu D-Max made headlines when it dethroned the Toyota Hilux in the Thai automotive market last year. The Toyota Hilux has always been the number one seller in the said market for more than a decade. With that being said, the future of Isuzu D-Max is bright in the Thai market especially now that the Japanese carmaker has released the model’s next-gen model in 2021 which sports a sleeker and more aggressive look.
Other Southeast Asian countries
In Singapore, luxury car brands BMW and Mercedes-Benz compete alongside Toyota and Honda in the top best-selling car brands in 2020 despite the effects of the economic crisis. On the other hand, the Toyota Wigo is said to be the most popular car in Brunei and it is the only country Southeast Asian country to record an increase in sales last year.
Luxury vehicles are common sights in Singapore
Meanwhile, Myanmar and Cambodia managed to sell 16,389 vehicles and 3,490 vehicles in 2020, respectively. The most popular car in Myanmar is the Suzuki Ciaz subcompact sedan. No data has been found for the 2020 car sales figures for Timor-Leste.
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