As many as 157,810 automobiles were sold in 2014, representing the highest number in the recent five years of annual auto sales in Vietnam, according to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (VAMA).

The figure represented a 43 percent increase from 2013. Of them, cars surpassed 100,000 units, reflecting a 43 percent soar while trucks reached 57,371 units, a sharp 42 percent increase.

While the sales of locally-assembled automobiles were 32 percent higher than last year, the industry saw a dramatic 83 percent surge in sales of imported vehicles.

In December alone, customers bought a total of 20,208 vehicles, up 27 percent against last month and 53 percent above the same period last year, making it the 21st month with increased sales and the highest sales month over the last three years.

Truong Hai and Toyota were the two most popular manufacturers last year, with Truong Hai selling 42,399 cars and Toyota following closely behind with 40,820 vehicles.

Ford came in third place with 13,988 units, followed by Honda with 6,492 cars and GM Vietnam’s 5,134 autos.-VNA