Vinfast breaks ground on electric vehicle factory in Northern California

Raleigh, North Carolina, July 28, 2023 (July 29, Vietnam time) - VinFast officially started construction on an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Chatham County, North Carolina, marking an important step in the company's strategy of expanding the market, developing a global electric vehicle brand and self-sufficient supply in the North American region.

Groundbreaking ceremony

VinFast's factory project is the first electric vehicle manufacturing facility in North Carolina, and is also the largest economic development project in the state's history to date.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place with the attendance and witness of Governor of North Carolina - Mr. Roy Cooper, Ambassador Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to the US - Mr. Nguyen Quoc Dung, local and government officials; along with partners, customers, experts and the media.

The VinFast factory in North Carolina has a total investment of 2 billion USD in phase 1, covering an area of 733 hectares and divided into 5 main production zones, including: body welding workshop, assembly workshop, stamping workshop, painting workshop and energy center. In addition, the factory campus will have other functional facilities such as a guard house, a pumping plant, and a waste collection house, etc.

Ms. Le Thi Thu Thuy, Vice President of Vingroup and President of VinFast, spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony.

In the first phase, the factory will focus on producing electric vehicles VF 7, VF 8 and VF 9 to meet market demand with an expected capacity of 150,000 vehicles/year. The supply of components for production will be prioritized in the US, Vietnam and some countries in the region. Production expansion and factory scale increase will be considered and weighed by VinFast based on actual demand in the next phases.

Currently, VinFast has appointed Clayco as the General Contractor and construction management unit for the project, and will conduct bidding to select other contractors in the near future.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Dung, Ambassador Plenipotentiary of Vietnam to the United States, spoke

Speaking at the event, North Carolina Governor Roy Coper shared: “North Carolina’s multi-disciplinary skilled workforce is our greatest strength. It is also the largest workforce in the Southeast region of the United States. VinFast’s factory built in North Carolina will create thousands of good jobs for the people of the state, along with a cleaner environment when more electric vehicles appear on the streets.”

Ms. Le Thi Thu Thuy, Chairwoman of VinFast, also said: “Today’s event marks a new milestone for VinFast, affirming our commitment and seriousness in the North American market. Not only helping to create thousands of jobs and contribute to the economic development of North Carolina, VinFast electric vehicles manufactured in North Carolina will bring more economic benefits to consumers. We also hope to be able to contribute more to the development of the North Carolina community - our second home - during the time of production and business here.”

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper speaks

The VinFast electric vehicle manufacturing plant is expected to go into production in 2025, and is expected to create an ecosystem of suppliers and thousands of jobs for local people, thereby contributing to the economic development of North Carolina.

For VinFast, the groundbreaking of the first VinFast electric vehicle factory in a foreign market is an important milestone in the plan to expand into the world and reach global stature in the field of green mobility.

Vietnam.vn