Divya Delhi : VinFast, a Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer, opened its first plant in southern India to enter the country's growing auto market. VinFast plans to create 150,000 vehicles per year in Tamil Nadu with a $2 billion investment. It plans to launch its cars in India later this month. VinFast Auto Ltd. commenced its $500 million Indian market entry on Monday by opening its Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu production facility. First in India and third globally, the plant is projected to be key to the company's expansion into South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Plans are for the new factory to produce 150,000 vehicles per year after initially producing 50,000. VinFast claimed it would focus on premium electric SUVs like the VF 7 and VF 6. VinFast Asia CEO Pham Sanh Chau called the India plant “an export-oriented manufacturing hub” and a major part of the company's strategy to focus on rising markets like India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, telling Bloomberg and Reuters. The plant should open in Indonesia by October. “We want to position ourselves as a premium global carmaker, which is accessible in other markets,” Chau told Bloomberg TV. Chau said VinFast had received vehicle orders from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Mauritius, and other South Asian, African, and Middle Eastern countries. Meeting Indian client demand is the top priority despite international purchases. VinFast supplied 97,399 EVs worldwide in 2024 and aims for 200,000 in 2025. In the first half of 2025, it sold 72,100 units, mostly in Vietnam.