Israeli car distributor B-EV Motors has introduced electric vehicles (EVs) made by Vietnamese carmaker VinFast in Tel Aviv ahead of official exports to be announced at a later date.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang witnessed the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA) signing on Tuesday in Jerusalem by Nir Barkat, Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry, and Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien.
B-EV Motors debuts VinFast EVs in Tel Aviv.
The Monday event was part of a number of celebrations marking 30 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and Vietnam.
VinFast announced in April 2022 that it had chosen B-EV Motors as its EV distributor in Israel.
“Under the agreement, B-EV Motors will distribute solely VinFast products, and VinFast and B-EV Motors will be the first to introduce unprecedented policies to the Israeli market,” the Vietnamese EV maker said.
“VinFast will become the leading electric vehicle company in the Israeli market in the coming years,” B-EV Motors chairman Dror Michman said in the announcement.
Israel's goal is to reaching 100% electric vehicles on its roads by 2030 and the adaptability of its transportation infrastructure represents the driving forces behind the Middle East country’s development of electrified mobility.
VinFast said its e-SUV models the VF 8 and VF 9 will be made available for reservation in the Israeli market and come with a 10-year or first 200,000-km warranty policy. However, the producer has yet to unveil a date for its export plans to Israel.
The EV startup is expanding in North American and European markets. It plans to break ground for its EV and battery manufacturing complex in North Carolina, the U.S. on July 28 (U.S. time).
“This will be the first electric vehicle manufacturing facility in North Carolina, and will help contribute to the supply of electric vehicles in North America and accelerate the global green mobility revolution,” VinFast, the car unit of Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate, said on July 19.
VinFast's manufacturing facility will be built at the Triangle Innovation Point in Chatham Count. Covering an area of approximately 1,800 acres (nearly 7.3 million square meters), the EV plant is designed to reach a capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year in phase one.
Expected to start production in 2025, it will also house supplementary supplier businesses.