VinFast steers Vingroup’s India expansion amid US EV headwinds
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. New Delhi: Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup, which has interests spanning real estate, renewable energy and electric vehicles, is planning rapid international expansion via India, buoyed by its strong automotive performance even as its US push struggles amid Trump-era policies.
The conglomerate’s twin announcements over the past month - to invest over $500 million in India through electric vehicle (EV) maker VinFast and scale up overall investments to $5 billion in the country to explore entry by other group firms - come as it pulls back from an aggressive push in the US automobile market. VinFast, which has helped the group expand internationally and open operations in markets like the US, is not eyeing store expansion in the North American market for now, and is doubling down on Asian markets like India instead to help offset any loss.
The EV maker, the conglomerate’s only listed firm in the US market, has seen its shares fall 18% as against a 21% rise by Nasdaq so far this year. Starting next year, VinFast expects a large part of its overall ramp-up coming from India as it also plans to foray into two-wheeler and electric bus segments.
Almost 90% sales of the car brand currently comes from Vietnam, but the management wants to increase presence in the overseas markets as well. “India is a strategic growth pillar in VinFast’s overseas portfolio, complementing mature markets like the US with high-growth, high-potential markets.
Together, these markets enable VinFast to balance near-term realities with long-term ambitions," Pham San Chau, managing director and chief executive officer at Vingroup Asia, said in email responses to Mint. On 4 December, VinFast announced a $500 million
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