Right after the news of VinFast’s investment in India, it is being reported that the company is in talks with Ford for a partnership in the Ford production plant in Chennai. Note that Ford shut down its production plant a few years back due to a lack of sales. Even though the American car manufacturer has left the Indian market, it continues to retain ownership of the land. 

Now Autocar India reports that the Vietnamese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer VinFast is in talks with Ford Motors India for a partnership. The company aims to procure and utilise Ford’s Manufacturing plant in Chennai. Since Ford continues to own the land, VinFast has proposed a partnership rather than a proposal to buy the whole land. This partnership is profitable for both companies, as Ford anyway does not profit from the land anymore. As per the terms of this partnership, VinFast will share some of the profit from its sales in India with Ford. 

For those unaware, VinFast is all geared up to invest $200 million in manufacturing and selling its electric cars in India. It is speculated that VinFast will start off its sales with the VinFast VF8 in India. The VF8 was spotted testing in India a few months ago. The VF8  is powered by an 87.7kWh battery that forces out 402hp of maximum power, making the car go from 0 to 100kmph in just 5.5 seconds. The maximum EPA range is said to be 264 miles or 425 km. The starting price of the car is $46,000, approximately Rs 38.27L when converted to the Indian currency. The company promises to import these cars as CKD Units but some say that to increase the excitement, VinFast will import the cars as CBU units wholly and in 2026 they will chunk out 50,000 CKD units.

With the talks with Ford, the motive of VinFast in India is quite clear. The company is actively seeking a manufacturing setup to expand its footprint in the country. The Ford plant is perfect for them as it is already well-equipped for automobile manufacturing. If the deal goes through, this should be an ideal opportunity for VinFast to enter the Indian market with its EVs.