Vietnam seeks Mexican automotive suppliers

MEXICO – Vietnamese automaker VinFast is interested in Mexico to expand its operations in North America, after it will start operating its first electric car manufacturing plant in the United States in 2024, and therefore is looking for regional auto parts suppliers.

The Mexican Embassy in Vietnam held a meeting with the vice president of VinGroup and Global CEO of VinFast, Le Thi Thu Thuy, with the aim of attracting investments to Mexico, promoting the automotive sector and strengthening trade exchanges.

According to an industry source, VinGroup's vice president requested the support of the Mexican Embassy to strengthen its supply chain, a list of companies in Mexico and contact details with the potential to join VinFast's auto parts supply chain.

"The Vietnamese company is interested in sourcing the following materials from producers in Mexico, mainly for its production plant in North Carolina," he said.

The list of possible products to be acquired by the Vietnamese automaker includes: harnesses, cables, seats and some brake components; lighting devices; air conditioning devices; restraint components; raw materials (steel, plastics, resins), as well as raw materials for batteries.

Therefore, VinGroup executives, who lead 20 companies, including VinFast (vehicle manufacturer), as well as manufacturing, artificial intelligence, pharmaceutical and big data companies, among others, are considering sending a delegation to Mexico in the future.

They explained that the main interest is to strengthen the supply chain for their plant in North Carolina, for which they will study Mexico as a possibility to expand their operations and approach the Latin American market.