Right on time! VinFast’s affordable range of electric cars are closer than ever to Aussie launch

The prospects of the Vietnamese electric car start-up VinFast selling vehicles in Australia has increased with the release of its first right-hand drive production models.

Until now limited to its home country as well as other left-hand drive markets such as North America, VinFast rolled out its right-hand drive line-up at last week’s Indonesian International Motor Show in Jakarta.

VinFast will not only sell right-hand drive models in Indonesia but also build them in a new factory with a small initial production capacity of 50,000.

READ MORE: Shock! VinFast’s VF Wild electric pickup was designed in Melbourne!
READ MORE: VinFast reveals VF5, VF6 and VF7, promises EV-only range by late 2022
READ MORE: VinFast launches Aussie-influenced EVs

VinFast has yet to make any announcements about RHD markets beyond Indonesia, but a move into Australia has long been hinted at.

It would certainly create plenty of interest as VinFast’s range of electric SUVs would undoubtedly be pitched at a price that would make it a direct competitor for China’s BYD, GWM and MG.

Even without sales here, in the short time since its establishment by Vietnam’s richest man Pham Nhat Vuong in 2017, VinFast has had a significant but troubled relationship with Australia.

It opened and then shut an R&D centre in Port Melbourne staffed predominantly by ex-Holden engineers in 2019-2021. It bought Holden’s old Lang Lang proving ground in 2020 and has been trying to sell it again since 2021.

That trauma is indicative of the global VinFast story so far that has included panning of its launch VF 8 model by the American automotive media and slow sales in the USA that have prompted a swap to a hybrid sales model including dealers for its expansion beyond California.

More positively, VinFast has engaged the small Australian independent design company GoMotiv to develop models for it including the Wild ute concept displayed at his year’s CES tech-fest in Last Vegas and the VF3 ‘mini-Jimny’ electric off-roader.

The Wild is defintyiely going into production and would be a guarantee for Australia.

The models confirmed for right-hand drive production so far are the sub-4.0m VF 5 crossover, the older VF e34 compact SUV, the brand new VF 6 sub-compact crossover SUV and the VF 7 medium SUV.

At IIMS VinFast also announced plans to develop with local suppliers a nationwide charging network in Indonesia.

That move reflects the small EV market in the country. However the national government is pushing aggressively to attract EV battery and car manufacturing and the country has huge stockpiles of nickel to mine.

Underlining that government EV interest, outgoing Indonesian president Joko Widodo made an appearance at the event and autographed the VinFast VF 5 on display.