Vietnamese battery electric vehicle (BEV) manufacturer VinFast Auto officially inaugurated it newly-built assembly plant in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The facility, in the Sipcot Industrial Park in Thoothukudi, is VinFast’s third vehicle assembly facility to go into operation globally, marking a key milestone in the company’s global expansion.
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Last month the company opened its first showroom in the country and began taking bookings for its VF6 and VF7 models, which were unveiled earlier this year at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo in Delhi. These are the first two models to go into production at the plant.
VinFast confirmed the plant “strengthens the company’s long-term commitment to the world’s third-largest automobile market, underscoring VinFast’s confidence in India’s strategic role in the future of the global EV industry.”
VinFast has two plants in operation in Vietnam and a facility currently under construction in Indonesia. Completion of a plant in the US has been delayed, after the company recently decided to prioritise expansion in Asia. The company pointed out that the Thoothukudi plant demonstrates its “capacity to deliver large-scale projects.”
The facility, built on a 400-acre plot, has an initial production capacity of 50,000 vehicles per year, using “state-of-the-art production lines that meet world-class standards, featuring advanced automation and cutting-edge technologies.” The facility comprises multiple workshops, including a body shop, paint shop, final assembly, quality control and a logistics hub. It also includes an auxiliary cluster for local contractors, which is expected to expand in the coming years.
The company confirmed that at full capacity, the plant will employ up to 3,500 people directly, with thousands more jobs created indirectly within the supply chain ecosystem. Capacity can be scaled up to 150,000 vehicles annually, when required, to meet rising demand.
VinFast said the launch of the Tamil Nadu plant moves it closer to its 2025 sales target of 200,000 vehicles globally, and its goal of producing 1 million vehicles per year by 2030.
VinFast Asia’s CEO, Pham Sanh Chau, said at the inauguration ceremony: “The VinFast Tamil Nadu plant marks a strategic milestone in our long-term commitment to the Indian market. It establishes a strong foundation for sustainable growth and positions us to offer high-quality, competitively priced electric vehicles to Indian consumers. Looking ahead, the facility will expand its production capacity to meet rising demand. We aim to develop it into VinFast’s largest export hub for South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.”
