VinFast Philippines is setting its sights on becoming the country’s No. 1 battery electric vehicle (BEV) brand by 2026, as it accelerates dealership expansion, strengthens ser-ice networks and ramps up unit availability across the country.
Antonio Zara, VinFast Philippines chief executive, said the Vietnamese automaker’s local operations are now in the startup phase but are gearing up for rapid growth ahead of a major brand launch in the fourth quarter of 2025.
“We’re targeting to be the No. 1 BEV brand by next year,” Zara said in a media briefing. “The actual number of units will depend on industry performance and EV penetration, which we estimate to reach around 4 percent to 5 percent of total vehicle sales in 2026, or roughly 20,000 to 25,000 BEVs.”
Zara said VinFast’s growth will be driven by both retail and fleet demand, citing the company’s ongoing partnership with Green Smart Mobility (GSM), a ride-hailing and fleet operator under the same VinGroup umbrella.
“Thousands of GSM units are already on the road, and that number will grow significantly over the next three months,” he said. “As GSM expands operations in Cebu, Davao and other cities, we expect strong follow-through demand from other transport operators who want to compete with GSM’s rates.”
To support its growing vehicle base, VinFast plans to double its dealership network to at least 30 by the end of 2025 and expand to 50 nationwide by next year, covering Lu-zon, Visayas and Mindanao.
The company is also building an ecosystem of third-party service workshops—similar to Bosch Car Service or Motolite centers—to improve service accessibility for fleet operators.
“These workshops will be accredited, trained and equipped with the necessary tools and software. They can perform periodic maintenance and warranty repairs, except for heavy electronic diagnostics, which will be handled by our dealers,” Zara said.
Charging infrastructure, a critical enabler for EV adoption, is also being addressed through VinGroup’s energy subsidiary VGREEN, which has committed to installing 15,000 charging points nationwide.
“The charging ecosystem is expanding quickly, and that’s key to faster EV adoption,” Zara said. “Once consumers experience EVs, they realize how convenient and eco-nomical they are. Adoption starts slow but rises exponentially once the mass market catches on.”
VinFast currently offers several models in the Philippines, including the VF3, VF5, VF6, VF7 and VF9, alongside the Heriogrid model used by GSM. The company is also preparing to introduce its new VF10 model next year.
Zara, who joined VinFast a month ago after retiring from his previous corporate role, said 2025 will focus on awareness-building and organizational setup. “We’re still ramp-ing up, but by next year, we expect a much stronger market presence,” he said.
