VinFast follows Tesla to India: International EV giants enter auto market, but BYD still operates remotely

Earlier this month, US EV giant Tesla Motors opened its showroom in India at BKC, Mumbai. A fortnight later, we saw Vietnamese electric car maker VinFast launching its first outlet in the country. But the world’s biggest EV automaker BYD is still struggling to gain ground in India. The latest news of an upcoming BYD plant in Pakistan won’t help matters either.

A Reuters report said that BYD looks to assemble some of its electric cars in Pakistan from 2026. The plant is expected to be operational in 2026. The first Pakistan-assembled EV is expected by July or August 2026, according to company executives, as per the report.

BYD’s EV plant, which has been under construction since April near Karachi under a partnership with Mega Motor Co, seems to be the result of incentives offered by the Pakistan administration. In contrast, the Chinese EV maker has to jump major hurdles to access one of the most lucrative EV markets in the world, India.

According to a recent Bloomberg report, BYD has had a hard time getting visas for its executives to India after the Himalayan border incursion of China into India in 2020, which led to a skirmish. The EV giant recently held its board meetings in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Kathmandu, Nepal3and even Singapore, Bloomberg noted.

The report also highlighted how BYD India MD Ketsu Zhang was unable to get a work permit after he left BYD Chennai. He now oversees India and other Asian markets from Japan.

But BYD’s difficulties are just on account of its Chinese parentage. VinFast Auto India, the Indian unit of VinFast, launched its showroom in Surat, Gujarat, on July 27. The dealership’ VinFast Surat’ is promoted by Chandan Car, the EV maker announced.

VinFast looks to use the showroom to showcase VinFast’s upcoming range of premium electric SUVs, the VF 6 and VF 7. The company also looks to launch 35 dealerships by year-end, in more than 27 cities in India.

“The first VinFast Showroom in Surat, Gujarat, is a symbol of our deep commitment to India. We are excited to bring the VinFast experience closer to Indian consumers. With this dealership in Gujarat, we aim to offer not just electric vehicles, but a complete ownership journey built on quality, trust, and service excellence,” said VinFast Asia CEO Pham Sanh Chau at the launch.

It is not just showrooms that VinFast is building in India. As it opened bookings to its EVs online with as low as ₹21,000 as the “fully refundable booking amount”, the India vehicles would come locally assembled from its upcoming factory in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.

Unlike VinFast, Tesla would still import its EVs to India. The Elon Musk-led American EV maker opened its first “experience centre” in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex business district on July 15 2025. It also announced that the Model Y would be the first car that Tesla would launch in India.

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