VinFast details launch plans for India at Auto Expo 2025

Initially, VinFast plans to begin its journey in India with the VF 6 and VF 7 and claims that this is the first right-hand drive market for these models. Measuring 4,238 mm in length, 1,820 mm in width, and 1,594 mm in height, the VF 6 is a sub-compact SUV. It will face stiff competition in India from the Mahindra XUV400, Hyundai Creta Electric, and the Mahindra BE 6, as well as the Maruti e Vitara, Tata Sierra.ev, and the Toyota Urban Cruiser arriving in showrooms later this year.

VinFast equipped the VF 6 with features like ventilated and heated front seats, a 12.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a head-up display, a panoramic sunroof, a 360º camera system, and Level 2 ADAS functions. Internationally, the company offers the small SUV in two FWD variants, one with 130 kW and 250 Nm of torque
and the other with 150 kW and 310 Nm of torque. A standard 59.6 kWh LFP battery pack delivers a WLTP range of 410 km in the base variant and 379 km in the top-end variant. 

At 4,545 mm long, 1,890 mm wide, and 1,636 mm tall, the VF 7 is a compact SUV that will rival the Tata Harrier.ev and perhaps even the slightly smaller BYD Atto 3. The company offers the VF 7 with features like 20-inch wheels, vegan leather upholstery, a 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless  Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a panoramic sunroof, and Level 2 ADAS functions.

In Europe, VinFast gives customers a choice of FWD and AWD variants with a single motor producing 150 kW and 310 Nm of torque and two motors developing 260 kW and 500 Nm of torque, respectively. A standard 75.3 kWh battery pack delivers a WLTP range of 450 km and 431 km, respectively. In more price-sensitive markets like Vietnam and the Philippines, the company
offers an additional FWD configuration, with a 130 kW/250 Nm motor and a 59.6 kWh battery pack, which has a range of 430 km, but as per the more lenient NEDC. It could give Indian customers also this choice for an aggressive entry price.

In its Auto Expo 2025 press announcement, VinFast said that it expects to start the sales of the VF 6 and VF 7 in India early in the second half of the year. The company has started gearing up for the launch, appointing dealers in key locations across the country. It plans to import the knocked-down
kits of these EVs from its domestic plant and assemble them locally to avoid India’s hefty tariffs and price the EVs competitively.

VinFast is building a production facility on a 400-acre site at an industrial park in Thoothukudi in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu. The company will launch locally manufactured EVs after the VF 6 and VF 7, possibly with significantly higher localisation, and it is considering exporting those EVs to the Middle East and Africa.

Planning begins for the first locally manufactured EV 

Speaking further in the Jagran New Media interview, Sanh Chau hinted that VinFast is looking at the VF 3 as its first locally manufactured EV in India. “Then we will think of the mass, and we are thinking of launching our VF 3,” he said. VinFast’s Asian chief sees the entry-level model as “the game changer” in its Indian line-up.

The VF 3 is a compact electric car with a length, width, and height of 3,190 mm, 1,679 mm, and 1,622 mm, respectively. In India, VinFast could position it as an SUV-styled, rugged rival of JSW MG Motor’s Comet, which is currently the country’s most affordable electric car with a starting ex-showroom price of just 699,800 Indian rupees (roughly 7,700 euros).

In addition to the compact dimensions, the VF 3’s high, 191-mm ground clearance and protective body cladding all-around make it a well-suited choice for Indian roads. VinFast equips its entry-level electric car with features like 16-inch wheels, a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and 60:40 split, foldable rear seats. The two-door, four-seat EV has a rear-mounted that produces 32 kW and 110 Nm of torque and draws energy
from an 18.64 kWh LFP battery pack. It covers a distance of 215 km on a full charge, as per NEDC.

Eyeing India’s fast-growing electric two-wheeler and bus segments

VinFast is considering entering India’s fast-growing electric two-wheeler market. According to a car and bike report, the company is developing an India-specific electric scooter. VinFast India Deputy CEO Ashok Patil confirmed this project and told the local publication that the company will announce its electric two-wheeler plans soon. That explains why the Vietnamese automaker displayed the Evo200, Klara S, Feliz S, Vento S, Theon S electric scooters and the VF DrgnFly
electric bike along with its electric cars at Auto Expo 2025.

At a much later stage, VinGroup, the conglomerate that owns VinFast, may launch electric buses in India. “Eventually, we would want to get into electric buses and vehicles for people movement or public transport,” Chau told Autocar Professional. In its home market, VinGroup not only manufactures electric buses but also operates them, under a zero-emission public transport
service company called VinBus.

Parent company mulling deeper EV penetration beyond vehicles

VinGroup has a much broader view of India’s auto industry and its potential. Sanh Chau told Autocar Professional that the parent company is considering bringing the whole EV ecosystem to the country and is open to partnering with other companies. It could expand the scope of VinES—Energy Solution and V-Green, its battery manufacturing and charging solutions companies, to include India. Sanh Chau said that VinFast does not want to just sell EVs in the country but wants to develop the entire infrastructure.

vingroup.net, carandbike.com, autocarpro.in