October C-segment crossover sales: CX-5 dominates, VF 7 surges

The sales race in the C-segment CUV category through October had two main highlights. One was the overwhelming strength of Mazda CX-5, a model that still shows no sign of losing its lead. The second was the arrival of VinFast VF 7, a pure electric product in its first year of published sales figures, which is attracting more buyers than many gasoline rivals such as Honda CR-V and Hyundai Tucson.

VF 7’s cumulative sales through October reached more than 7,000 units, around 700 more than the next-ranked rival, Tucson. Because VinFast does not disclose detailed sales figures for individual models in 2024, it is not yet possible to assess VF 7’s sales growth.

Unlike smaller, mass-market gasoline models whose sales declined as buyers shifted to EVs for commercial services, C-segment internal combustion vehicles still attract customers. Through October, gasoline and hybrid models in the segment posted 35,777 units sold, up about 19% year-on-year. In this context, VF 7 appears to have created its own customer group with its pure-electric setup and driving character similar to that of a sports model (all-wheel-drive version).

 

 

With the addition of a VinFast model, Vietnamese customers bought 42,844 C-segment CUVs, up 42% from the first 10 months of 2024. Of that, CX-5 accounted for as much as 30% market share, while Ford Territory ranked second with 22%.

With a gap of more than 3,300 units over the runner-up while 2025 still has two months to go, Mazda CX-5 is likely to become the segment’s best-seller for a sixth consecutive year. Breaking the Mazda model’s dominance remains a difficult task for competing vehicles.

Among the models posting sales growth, Territory and Tucson recorded the highest increases, at 53% and 56%, respectively. Ford’s product became more attractive because from late 2024, its retail price was cut by VND40 million. For Tucson, deliveries to dealerships declined for nearly the first 10 months of 2024 as inventories were being cleared ahead of the mid-cycle facelift. Sales improved strongly in 2025 as supply became uninterrupted.

The slowest-selling group at the bottom remained two familiar names: Kia Sportage and Mitsubishi Outlander. Outlander alone has been discontinued since September. Mitsubishi will replace the end-of-life Outlander with the Indonesia-imported Destinator, which is set to launch in early December in Ho Chi Minh City.

The C-segment CUV group also includes other names such as BYD Sealion 6, Jaecoo J7 and Haval H6, but the companies do not disclose sales figures.