Vietnamese electric car manufacturer VinFast has broken ground at its electric vehicle manufacturing site within the Triangle Innovation Point in Chatham County. The groundbreaking ceremony, which took place at the site, marked a significant milestone toward VinFast’s global expansion and the company’s supply chain development in North America.
VinFast has appointed Clayco as the general contractor and construction management company to lead the project and will begin the bidding process to subcontractors soon.
“North Carolina’s skilled and diverse workforce is our greatest strength, and we have the largest manufacturing workforce in the Southeast,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “This VinFast factory will create thousands of good-paying jobs in our state, along with a healthier environment as more electric vehicles take to the road.”
The US factory project is the first electric vehicle manufacturing facility in North Carolina, as well as the largest economic development initiative in the state’s history.
Phase one, at a cost of about$2 billion, spans an area of approximately 1,800 acres and is divided into five main production areas, including a body shop, general assembly, press shop, paint shop and an energy center. There will also be other functional facilities in the factory premises.
In the initial phase, the factory will focus on building VinFast’s VF 7, VF 8 and VF 9 electric vehicles with an expected production capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year. The supplier base for components and materials will be primarily concentrated in the US, Vietnam and a few other countries. Future expansion and updates for the factory will be released in the next phase.
“Todays event marks a new milestone for VinFast, affirming our commitment to the North American market,” said Madam Le Thi Thu Thuy, CEO of VinFast. “Not only will this project create thousands of jobs and contribute to North Carolina’s economic development, but VinFast’s electric vehicles produced here will also bring additional economic benefits to consumers. We also look forward to contributing to the development of the North Carolina community – our second home – during the production and business operation here.”
The VinFast electric vehicle manufacturing plant is expected to open in 2025. The complex, VinFast’s first electric vehicle factory outside of Vietnam, will also play an important role as the company strives to reach world-class levels of sustainable mobility on a global scale.
