[ti:Vietnam’s EV Maker VinFast Plans Factory in India]
[by:www.21voa.com]
[00:00.00]更多听力请访问21VOA.COM
[00:00.04]Vietnamese electric vehicle company VinFast
[00:03.76]recently announced its plans to build
[00:06.48]a $2 billion production center in southern India.
[00:10.88]The new factory is expected to produce
[00:13.96]up to 150,000 cars per year once it is completed.
[00:20.64]The project will include an opening investment of $500 million.
[00:26.28]Construction will start this year.
[00:29.28]The production centers are expected to support
[00:33.04]over 3,000 jobs in the Tamil Nadu state.
[00:38.08]The center will be close to the port city of Thootukudi.
[00:43.76]VinFast started in 2017
[00:47.20]and has been producing electric vehicles since 2021.
[00:52.08]It already announced plans for a factory
[00:55.28]in the southern U.S. state of North Carolina.
[00:58.64]The factory there will cost $4 billion to complete
[01:03.60]and vehicle production is expected to begin this year.
[01:08.80]VinFast brought its cars to market in the U.S.
[01:12.72]for the first time in 2023.
[01:16.24]The cars have not sold well in the U.S.
[01:18.84]because they have received some bad reviews
[01:22.60]and there are questions about their quality.
[01:26.08]VinFast officials, however,
[01:28.04]believe the company can succeed in the U.S.
[01:32.16]The company's stock is listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange,
[01:36.36]and, for a short time, its shares were worth
[01:40.60]more than Ford and General Motors.
[01:43.92]However, by the end of 2023,
[01:47.32]the company had lost more than $1.4 billion.
[01:52.32]VinFast said it hopes to sell its cars
[01:55.68]in 50 markets by the end of 2024.
[01:59.76]It announced a $400 million factory
[02:03.36]in Indonesia late last year.
[02:07.00]VinFast cars will be used in Laos by Green SM,
[02:11.68]a taxi company mostly owned by VinFast's founder.
[02:17.48]The production center is the first move by VinFast
[02:21.32]to enter the growing Indian market.
[02:24.12]The country has one of the fastest-growing
[02:26.84]electric vehicle markets in the world.
[02:29.40]India has launched a $1.3 billion plan
[02:34.16]to support electric vehicle manufacturing and use.
[02:38.48]However, of the 2.3 million EVs in use in India,
[02:44.08]most are inexpensive motorbikes,
[02:46.72]rickshaws and scooters.
[02:49.44]Some experts wonder if there are enough Indians
[02:53.32]who have the money to purchase a costly electric car.
[02:58.52]VinFast is part of Vingroup,
[03:01.04]which was started as an instant noodle company
[03:04.72]in Ukraine in the 1990s by Pham Nhat Vuong,
[03:10.36]who is now Vietnam's richest man.
[03:13.24]I'm Dan Friedell. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM