VinFast has ambitions to establish itself as a serious player in the EV space but it’s now likely to get a little less coverage in the European media after cancelling plans to attend the IAA Mobility show in Munich, Germany next month.
The Vietnamese car manufacturer has not revealed why it is backing away from the event but it comes in the midst of a continued shift in focus to the U.S. market due to snags it has experienced in launching across Europe.
Indeed, VinFast initially set out to start deliveries of the VF 8 and VF 9 SUVs in Europe last year but could not meet homologation requirements quickly enough. In June, VinFast chairwoman Le Thi Thu Thuy noted that planned launches in Germany, France and the Netherlands had also been slowed due to more challenging safety regulations that were recently introduced, Auto News reports.
Read: Lobby Group Pushing For Vietnam To Be Eligible For EV Tax Credits In The U.S.
This year’s IAA Mobility event is shaping up to be quite a significant one despite auto shows falling out of favor in recent years. German brands like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Volkswagen have all confirmed their attendance at the event. Other car manufacturers set to display their vehicles at the show will include Tesla, BYD, Dongfeng, Hongqi, Leapmotor, and Seres. Key technology companies like Google, Luminar, Qualcomm, Nvidia, and Amazon Web Services will also be there.
While VinFast won’t be in Munich, it does have quite a lot on its plate. On July 28, it held a groundbreaking ceremony at its U.S. factory in Chatham County, North Carolina. The car manufacturer is initially investing $2 billion in the first phase of the site which will include a body shop, a general assembly area, a press shop, a paint shop, and an energy center.
