VinFast likely to skip Bharat Mobility Expo

New Delhi: Vietnamese carmaker VinFast, which is drawing up plans to launch operations in India in 2024, will not participate in the upcoming Bharat Mobility Expo, in a change of plans possibly involving challenges in making its entire product showcase available for the Expo in time, two sources privy to the development told Mint on condition of anonymity. The pure electric automaker, which had taken up 10,000 square meters of space at the Bharat Mandapam for the maiden edition of the Bharat Mobility Global Expo which begins on 1 February, and was set to exhibit 6 cars and 5 electric scooters at the Expo, is now exploring alternative ways to introduce the brand to customers and industry stakeholders, one of the sources cited above said. The brand was touted to be a major draw at the Bharat Mobility Expo, which is expected to attract over 150,000 visitors to the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan, as customers and industry participants keenly wait for the entry of the major OEM with aggressive plans and investments to tap the rapidly growing market for sport utility vehicles in the country. VinFast, which offers battery electric SUVs spanning the A to E segments in Vietnam, will likely eye a price point in the vicinity of ₹18-20 lakh for its first import into India, one of the persons mentioned above said, adding, however, that import duty structures on fully built-up cars in India could tip that pricing higher.