Vietnamese electric carmaker VinFast on Saturday officially launched its much-anticipated electric SUVs in India -- VF 6 and VF 7 -- at an introductory price of Rs 16.49 lakh and Rs 20.89 lakh, respectively. At this price point, the newest EV in India will compete against the battery-powered four-wheelers of Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Hyundai Motor India.
Pham Sanh Chau, CEO of VinFast Asia, said that the official launch is a milestone in their belief that premium e-mobility should be accessible to everyone. He added that for them India is not just another market, but essential to their mission.
“With its scale, India can lead the global electric revolution,” stated Chau. He also committed that VinFast will launch one new electric car every six months and currently they are considering launching VF 3 in the Indian market. VinFast, which has expanded to 16 countries in record time, has about six models in its global portfolio.
When asked about sales expectations from the Indian market, Chau said, “We don’t put any targets.” India’s electric passenger vehicle market scaled new heights in July with registrations reaching 17,298 units. This marks a robust 155% YoY increase over August 2024’s 6,787 units.
VinFast said that it will be available in 27 major cities with 35 showrooms by the end of 2025. To attract consumers, Vinfast is offering the two new models with a 10-year / 2 lakh km warranty on the vehicle and battery pack, free charging until July 2028, and three years of free maintenance.
VinFast has high hopes from the Indian market which recently saw the soft entry of its global competitor Tesla. Unlike the US electric carmaker, VinFast is in the process of spending $500 million in its Tamil Nadu plant which is part of a larger $2 billion India commitment. This facility has an initial production capacity of 50,000 EVs annually which will be increased to 150,000 units in the second phase.
The VF 6 SUV offers a 59.6 kWh battery pack with 25-minute fast charging (10- 70%) and ARAI-certified range of up to 468 km. VF 7 is a large SUV with a length exceeding 4.5 metres and a 2,840 mm wheelbase. It will be available in two battery packs and five variants – Earth, Wind, WindInfinity, Sky and Sky Infinity. The Earth edition has a certified range of 438 km while the Wind has a range of 532 km and Sky has a range of 510 km.