FROM VIETNAM TO GURUGRAM

Inside VinFast's First Brush with Indian EV Buyers

- WORDS SUMESH SOMAN

The Vietnamese electric car manufacturer has recently entered the Indian market with two products - the VF 6 and VF 7.

The company is competing with the likes of Hyundai, Tata, Mahindra and MG, among others, which are well-established and offer multiple products. We head to the flagship dealership of VinFast, located in Gurugram - Haritash Mobility, and spoke to a few customers regarding their experience with the new EV brand in town.

Our first interaction got us to meet Ashwin Chaudhary and his brother, who are business owners in Ghaziabad and have bought the VF 6 recently.

First Impressions

On asking about his introduction to the VinFast brand, Ashwin told us an interesting story. He and his family were looking to purchase an EV sedan; however, our SUV-obsessed country doesn't have many sedans to offer. Hence, after going through the usual strong EV players like Tata and Mahindra, they zeroed in on the MG Windsor. As fate would have it, a friend intervened at the last moment and asked them to check out the VinFast cars and go for a test drive. The rest of the story is self-explanatory.

About first impressions, Ashwin said that this is a new brand, and there is a lot of curiosity around the name, sure, but after experiencing the car firsthand, he had zero doubts, and he booked the VF 6 immediately. Ashwin also went ahead to add that VinFast may be new, but the brand should attract the premium segment buyers, as it has great build quality, features, road presence and compelling performance.

Dealership Woes or Wows?