Vietnam’s homegrown car maker VinFast is all set to roll out cars from its Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) factory next month onwards. As announced at the Bharat Mobility Show earlier this year, the first cars to come out of this coastal facility close to Madurai will be the C-segment VF7 crossover, followed by the compact VF6 SUV. However, as part of its aggressive expansion plan, the company is already planning to bring in its entry-level SUV, the VF3, too, by early next year.
Also read: Exclusive: VinFast Working On New Electric Scooter For India
The VF3 is the smallest SUV on sale from the Vietnamese car maker. At 3190mm, it is longer than a MG Comet. It is a four-seater but only has two doors, just like the Comet. The car has met with surprising success, given its size, thanks to the interesting design. VF3 customers are going for a lot of customisation options – such as colour and decals – making it a hit with youngsters there. Remains to be seen if it attracts an audience with a similar inclination in India.
VinFast will commence its India innings with the VF6 and VF7 SUVs.
The TN facility will be assembling kits of VF7 and VF6 to start with. The company’s Asia CEO, Pham Sanh Chau, revealed this while speaking to a select group of Indian media at the company’s headquarters in Hanoi, which is also home to its first factory. The brand is less than 10 years old. It showcased its first cars – a midsized sedan and a midsized SUV – back in 2018. While these were petrol cars, the company’s founder, Pham Nhat Vuong, took a radical decision to go purely electric. Thus, the VF e34 was born. Currently, every fifth car sold in Vietnam is a VinFast, making it the biggest EV player in the country.
Also Read: VinFast VF6 Makes India Debut
Over the years, the company has expanded into overseas markets such as Indonesia and the Philippines in South-East Asia and even the US and some European countries. India is being seen as a high-importance market by the car maker, given its potential and uptake of EVs of late. VinFast is also banking on its ability to make “premium” cars at a cost just like major car makers in India. To keep things relevant, it is sticking to offering only SUVs and crossovers, which is what its global line-up is.
We aim to create the complete EV ecosystem in India - Pham Sanh Chau, CEO, Vinfast Asia.
VinFast’s current line-up includes VF3, VF5, VF6, VF7, VF8 and VF9. The latter two are full-sized SUVs, which are currently not being brought to India, given their high price. Interestingly, the VF9 has a 123 kWh battery size, which is bigger than any EV sold in India.
Also Read: VinFast VF7 Confirmed For India Launch
Both the VF5 and VF7 were unveiled in India at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025.
VinFast is part of Vietnam’s biggest business house, called VinGroup. While it has humble beginnings (the founder started off making instant noodles), it has in a short period of time diversified into real estate, education, medicine and automobiles, among others. Mr Chau, who is also head of its India operations, said that the company’s approach is not just to build EVs but to create an ecosystem to support its businesses – an approach that has helped it grow so fast in the past. For example, just like Tesla, VinFast also has its charging network company V-Green, which has built the charging infrastructure in Vietnam and even buys back its cars. However, he said the company still hasn’t decided on its charging network approach in India, given the size of the country and the existing reasonably robust charging network offered by many neutral companies.
Also read: Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025: VinFast VF 3 EV Unveiled In India
The company is currently close to finalising the initial batch of dealers pan-India. It is also looking at pure service partners in places where it won’t have presence to start with. It is hoping this will reassure customers about investing in the brand. The cars are likely to get 7-10 year warranty too, similar to what it offers at home. This includes battery warranty.
While the cars are yet to be tested, VinFast is hopeful that its cars will achieve 5-star crash-test ratings in Bharat NCAP. “It is something they have aimed at from the moment they started planning both VF7 and VF6 for India”, said Vince Pendlebury, chief engineer of both SUVs. While nearly 60% of the components of both vehicles are similar, they boast different batteries. The VF7, which will be the first car for India, has already moved to LFP (Lithium-Iron-Phosphate) battery chemistry from NMC (Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt), given the former’s better reliability in Indian conditions.
VinFast is also considering launching e-scooters in India; the company had showcased a line-up of e-scooters at the Bharat Mobility Expo 2025.
Interestingly, the VF3 won’t be the most affordable VinFast on sale in India as Mr Chau has also not ruled out launching e-scooters. The company already has a range of them and is currently evaluating the business for India.
With the India factory expected to start operations by August, expect VinFast dealerships to open up in time for the festive season. Here’s a quick look at the tentative specs of the VF3 versus a MG Comet:
| VinFast VF3 | MG Comet | |
| Seating | 4 | 4 |
| Length | 3190mm | 2974mm |
| Width | 1679mm | 1505mm |
| Height | 1652mm | 1640mm |
| Wheelbase | 2075mm | 2010mm |
| Ground Clearance | 175mm | 165mm |
| Boot (rear seats folded) | 285 litres | 350 litres |
| Power | 39bhp | 41bhp |
| Torque | 110Nm | 110Nm |
| 0-100kph | 19s | 23.9s |
| Top speed | 100kph | 101kph |
| Battery | 18.6kWh (air cooled) | 17.3kWh |
| Range | 215km | 230km |
| Charger | CCS2 (DC compatible) | Type 2 |
| Drive | RWD | RWD |
| Wheels | 16in | 12in |
| Brakes | Disc/Drum | Disc/Disc |
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