Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast plans to open a car assembly plant in India by the end of June and another one in Indonesia in October, its chief said as the company shifts its focus to Asia.  The loss-making startup had initially planned to focus on America for its foreign sales, but slow progress in the United States, even before growing uncertainty caused by U.S. tariffs, pushed the company to change strategy.

"In the near future, apart from the Vietnamese market, we will focus more on Indonesia, India, and the Philippines markets," Pham Nhat Vuong says to VinFast's parent company Vingroup.

"At the moment, VinFast is not planning to boost sales in the United States, Canada, and the European Union due to high logistics fee.”

Last year, VinFast and the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu reached an agreement to pursue an investment of as much as $2 billion, with an initial commitment of $500 million for the project's first five years, and the facility anticipated to achieve an annual output capacity of up to 150,000 vehicles.

In July of the previous year, VinFast commenced construction on an assembly plant in Indonesia, which Vuong mentioned it would start operations in October.

VinFast's all-in-one EV production plant is 90 percent finished and is projected to start operations in the next two to three months.

Thoothukudi is rapidly establishing itself as a significant player in India's automotive industry, with the development of VinFast's new factory close to being finished in the area.

Industries Minister TRB Rajaa says, "Thoothukudi is now becoming the state’s fourth significant auto-cluster following Chennai, Krishnagiri, and Coimbatore, which further enhances our standing in the industry."

VinFast leaders discussed the significance of essential EV parts earlier this week. 

The talks also covered attempts to establish shipping logistics and liner connections with Haiphong. This will facilitate the import of essential components and the export of completed vehicles to markets in India and globally.

 

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VinFast aims to import 2,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of parts to commence production in May, with a formal factory opening planned for June. At first, the business will focus on the domestic market before broadening its international exports.