Electrified vehicles rising to trendy choice in Vietnam

Truong Huy, a technical expert for an electric vehicle software outsourcing company in Ho Chi Minh City, was one of the earliest to come to the Electrified Vehicle Exhibition at Yen So Park, Hanoi, last weekend to learn about the hybrid and pure electric car models.

“As a person working in technology related to electric vehicles, this exhibition is a good opportunity for me to learn more about the companies,” Huy said while standing next to the chassis of a Hyundai electric car. “Mainly working in software, this is a rare time I have seen a complete hardware platform for an electric vehicle.”

In the past three years, electric or hybrid cars have gradually become more familiar to Vietnamese customers. But Vietnam has never had an exhibition dedicated to this category, which means few opportunities for Huy and other customers to experience cars from different brands or learn about their software and hardware technologies.

A Hyundai car engine is displayed at the Electrified Vehicle Exhibition in Hanoi. Photo by Luong Dung

The Electrified Vehicle Exhibition organized by VnExpress on Jan. 13–14 can be considered the start of events dedicated to fuel-saving and environmentally friendly vehicle lines.

In previous years, only a small number of electrochemical products were sold on the market, but now it is different.

In 2020, except for Toyota with the small crossover Corolla Cross with a hybrid engine option, the market did not have a product with a similar or pure electric engine, specifically in the popular segment.

By 2023, the number of electrochemical products and companies participating in the field has increased, creating a trend big enough to draw customers’ attention.

The domestic EV segment was led by VinFast in 2023, with an ecosystem ranging from bicycles, motorbikes, cars, and buses. The company has been selling electric cars since 2021 with the VF e34 and has now added VF 5, VF 6, VF 7, VF 8, and VF 9 to the car category alone.

In addition to VinFast, Hyundai is selling the Ioniq 5 series. Previously, the Korean company launched the Santa Fe hybrid for sale. Its distribution by Thanh Cong Group also hinted at the possibility of the company selling the G80 EV, a pure electric luxury sedan, in the near future.

Hybrid cars are becoming more diverse with Kicks from Hyundai, CR-Vs from Honda, Sorentos from Kia, and H6s from Haval. Toyota specifically expanded this car segment in Vietnam with the addition of the Altis, Camry, Yaris Cross, Innova Cross, and Alphard.

Besides Haval, the presence of other Chinese brands in Vietnam, such as Wuling and Haima, helps make the electrified vehicle segment more exciting. Pure electric car options from these brands include the market’s cheapest Wuling Mini EV, or the Haima 7X-E MPV.

Most of these car models were present at the Electrified Vehicles Exhibition 2024.

Visitors check VinFast products at the Electrified Vehicle Exhibition. Photo by Minh Quan

Xuan Huy drove more than 10 km from Ha Dong District to the exhibition to find a second car for his travel in the city. “I went to check all the booths because I do not favor any specific brands. There have been very few occasions when many companies display hybrid or pure electric car products like this.”

Electrified vehicles are gradually becoming more popular. But many companies believe that customers still need orientation and education about the technology and how to use these products.

Compared to the technology of internal combustion engine vehicles, which has been familiar to users for hundreds of years, electrified vehicles’s is new.

“Many people are still concerned about whether electric vehicle technology is suitable for cars that they use every day,” said Son Lam, a representative of TMT Motors, the distributor of the Wuling brand in Vietnam. “Participating in this exhibition is also a way for the company to answer more customers’ concerns about electric vehicles, especially their technology.”

A Hyundai Thanh Cong representative said that pure electric and hybrid technology is generally still new to the majority of Vietnamese customers. “Disseminating knowledge about electrified vehicles to customers is what the company is doing, this exhibition is one such occasion for us to do that.”

Having studied the Hyundai electric vehicle chassis for a long time, Huy said that the combination of small batteries forming a structure that can be customized for many different electric vehicle models is very interesting. It’s similar to how he and his colleagues create software to control electric current and operate features on the car.

“At this Electrified Vehicle Exhibition, there are probably many people like me who, in addition to seeing the cars, also want to learn more about technology,” Huy said. “Walking through all the exhibition booths, I think our knowledge about electric vehicles is increasing. Hopefully, we will be able to return to this exhibition soon in 2024.”