As the Vietnamese automotive market enters the final days of 2025, it is filled with mixed emotions. After a year marked by volatility and mounting challenges, the industry has nevertheless shown encouraging signs, with overall sales maintaining growth momentum. Alongside the strong rise of hybrid and electric vehicles, a sweeping wave of technology is reshaping the entire landscape of the industry. A flood of new models has emerged, pushing competitive pressure to grow exponentially.
In such a challenging environment, many models have lost their initial appeal, suffering severe sales declines. Automakers and distributors have been forced to make painful decisions — cutting losses, pulling the plug, and discontinuing products in order to solve both market and brand challenges. After all, there is little joy in seeing your car ranked among the slowest sellers, while dealerships groan under the strain.
Four Cars Discontinued in 2025
There are many reasons why a car gets discontinued, but the most obvious one hardly needs guessing: it is no longer competitive. The number of models discontinued in 2025 exceeds four, but Suốt Ngày XE would like to spotlight four representative examples.
Ford Explorer: Full-size SUV
Entering the Vietnamese market in 2016, the Explorer — one of Ford’s flagship models — quickly became a highly attractive option for buyers seeking a large family SUV. At the time of its debut, this U.S.-imported SUV had virtually no direct competitors. Despite a price tag exceeding VND 2 billion, demand frequently outstripped supply, and customers often had to place advance orders.
In 2022, Ford introduced the new-generation Explorer to Vietnam, once again igniting a buying frenzy. Many dealers took advantage of limited availability by applying the familiar tactic of “mandatory add-ons.”
However, under mounting pressure from the more affordable German Volkswagen Teramont X, the Hyundai Palisade priced roughly VND 500 million lower, and shifting consumer preferences, the Explorer gradually lost its appeal. What was inevitable eventually arrived.
In early July 2025, the Ford Explorer officially disappeared from Ford Vietnam’s website — a clear sign of its discontinuation. After nearly a decade on the market and years of glory, the Explorer was finally retired, joining a list of once-iconic Ford models that came before it.
Mazda6: A Niche Sedan
First introduced in 1996, the Mazda6 was among the pioneering models in the D-segment sedan class — a premium segment traditionally favored by business owners and executives. In 2014, when the Mazda6 began local assembly under THACO, it received widespread praise from both experts and consumers.
Its flowing, dynamic body lines, signature wing-shaped grille, and sharp, expressive headlights created a design that was undeniably beautiful.
However, from 2014 to the present — more than a decade — the Mazda6 has remained largely unchanged in overall design, receiving only minor facelifts during mid-cycle updates. When placed next to rivals such as the Toyota Camry, Kia K5, or even the MG7, the updates on the Mazda6 feel negligible.
From Q3 2025 onward, many Mazda dealers reported that the Mazda6 was out of stock and no longer accepting deposits. Although THACO — Mazda’s official distributor in Vietnam — has not released any formal statement, many industry insiders believe the Mazda6 has quietly exited the stage.
In a parallel development, toward the end of 2025, Mazda celebrated the grand opening of its flagship showroom in Ho Chi Minh City, preparing for a comprehensive upgrade of its brand image.
Mitsubishi Outlander: Mission Accomplished
Once trusted by Vietnamese customers for its practical design and durable performance, the Outlander helped Mitsubishi establish a strong foothold in the C-segment crossover market before the arrival of its younger siblings: Xpander, Xforce, and Destinator.
However, as automotive trends evolved rapidly — with Korean brands innovating aggressively and Chinese brands offering overwhelming features — the Mitsubishi Outlander, with its somewhat rigid design language, higher pricing, and dated appeal, gradually lost relevance among a new generation of buyers. And she’s gone…
For these reasons, Mitsubishi decided to discontinue the Outlander to make way for the promising new Mitsubishi Destinator, a seven-seat high-riding SUV priced below VND 800 million.
Honda Civic Type R: Performance Icon
After three years of market testing, the journey of the high-performance, manual-transmission Honda Civic Type R came to an abrupt end — closing with the sharp roar of its turbocharged four-cylinder VTEC engine. For several consecutive months, Honda failed to sell a single Civic Type R in Vietnam.
So what was the solution?
In early 2025, Honda raised the Civic Type R’s price to VND 2.999 billion — VND 600 million higher than its launch price in October 2022 — subtly signaling enthusiasts to buy early, before the car vanished altogether.
In October 2025, Honda officially discontinued the Civic Type R, leaving the Subaru BRZ alone to dance along winding roads. Before bidding farewell to this racing icon, Honda accepted orders for the final 10 units for those eager to hunt down a piece of automotive heritage. Because once you’ve experienced a true performance machine, it’s hard to step back into an ordinary car.
Three Cars Launched in 2025
Throughout 2025, the Vietnamese market welcomed more than 20 new models. However, Suốt Ngày XE highlights three representative models across three powertrains: gasoline, plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and fully electric.
Mitsubishi Destinator: Pure Gasoline
On December 1, 2025, the Mitsubishi Destinator was officially launched and priced in Vietnam. The Destinator can be described as a refined, enlarged evolution of the Xforce, offering flexible transformation from a five-seat layout to a three-row, seven-seat configuration.
Takao Kato, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, stated at the vehicle’s launch in Indonesia in May 2025:
“The all-new Destinator is a seven-seat SUV designed to encourage families of seven to enjoy more comfortable journeys. This is Mitsubishi’s third strategic model after Xpander and Xforce, initially focused on ASEAN, before expanding to South America, the Middle East, and Africa.”
Destinator Premium: VND 780 million
Destinator Ultimate: VND 855 million
Launched toward the end of the year, the Destinator acted like a magnet, attracting massive media attention thanks to its well-balanced equation of needs and budget. It is not a direct threat that keeps Fortuner or Everest executives awake at night, nor does it make Mazda CX-5 or Ford Territory forget to eat. But it is a wake-up call — signaling that the market is changing.
Too spacious to be a typical five-seat crossover, yet priced more softly than traditional seven-seat SUVs, the Destinator represents a formidable force in the VND 800 million to 1 billion “golden segment” for family cars.
BYD Sealion 6: Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV)
If MG was the icebreaker that opened the floodgates for Chinese cars entering Vietnam, BYD may well be the brand redefining the entire game for years to come.
In April 2025, the Sealion 6 PHEV — a plug-in hybrid crossover capable of refueling, recharging, and traveling up to 1,795 km without concern — became the passport for that ambition. This is no longer a story about “cheap Chinese cars.” It is about blurred boundaries between gasoline and electricity, where convenience and long range are no longer opposing extremes.
BYD Sealion 6 Dynamic: VND 799 million
BYD Sealion 6 Premium: VND 899 million
Currently, Vietnam offers very few PHEV models beyond the BYD Sealion 6 and Jaecoo J7 (both under VND 1 billion), as well as the Kia Sorento, Volvo XC60, and Range Rover Velar — all priced far higher.
Mercedes G580 EQ: Fully Electric
When applause echoed through the Magna factory in Graz, Austria, in 1979, a legend was born: the Mercedes 460 — the first generation of the G-Class.
With its uncompromising boxy shape and extraordinary off-road capability, the vehicle was originally designed for military use at the request of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran — a political figure who never received his vehicle after the Islamic Revolution.
A major milestone arrived in 1994 when Mercedes officially elevated the iconic line: “Geländewagen” became “G-Class,” marking its transition into the luxury off-road SUV realm.
In 2018, Mercedes launched the all-new G63, the second generation after nearly four decades. The G63 became one of the most coveted vehicles in Vietnam, adored by both men and women. Rumor has it within the Suốt Ngày XE community that any woman standing next to a G63 risks being irresistibly drawn into the driver’s seat — by executive order.
In December 2024, Mercedes-Benz presented the Pope with the first fully electric Popemobile in history — a fitting prelude to the commercial launch of the G580 EQ.
Jörg Bartels, Head of Vehicle Integration for Electric Mobility, stated:
“We completely redesigned the battery architecture, reinforced the chassis, adjusted the body and wheels to ensure the G580 EQ can climb 45-degree slopes, wade through 85 cm of water, and tackle the most demanding terrains — all while preserving its legendary identity.”
Mercedes also developed the G-Turn technology, allowing the G580 EQ to rotate in place like a tank, and the G-Crawl mode for ultra-slow movement over extreme terrain — features virtually unthinkable for traditional internal combustion engines.
❉ ❉ ❉
The 2025 automotive market feels like a major renovation of a historic house. We are finally ready to discard the heavy, outdated solid-wood armchairs — models like the Explorer and Outlander — once highly prized, but now obsolete and taking up valuable space. In their place, the house is being refurnished with smart, multifunctional furniture (the Destinator) and energy-efficient, high-tech appliances (the BYD Sealion 6), transforming the living space into something more modern, flexible, and comfortable.
The Editorial Board of Suốt Ngày XE — Vietnam’s first AI-powered automotive publication — wishes you unwavering loyalty to humble cars, and plenty of good fortune when taking the wheel of luxury machines.