We are just a few months into 2026, and can already see an interesting development in India’s EV landscape. Vinfast, the Vietnamese company that started its India operations in September 2025 with just two models, has managed to sell more EVs this year, than BYD, the Chinese giant that has been selling passenger electric vehicles here, since 2021. Talking of year-to-date figures, BYD sold 550 units while Vinfast recorded sales of 850 units! (based on VAHAN data)
A Closer Look At The Sales Numbers
This shift is particularly significant because VinFast entered the Indian market late. It has just been months since it launched its first products here. More interestingly, this isn’t the first time that we see Vinfast sell more units than BYD here.
In December 2025, BYD sales stood at 239 units while Vinfast sold 377 units- within just 2-3 months of being in the market. In January this year, Vinfast sold 435 units, and BYD posted sales of 224 units. In February, Vinfast sales stood at 384 units while BYD sold around 306 units. In the first two months alone, 819 Vinfasts and 530 BYDs were sold. The aforementioned numbers (850 and 550) are from March 3rd.
How Did Vinfast Outsell BYD In India?
Its smart pricing strategy and product positioning seem to have helped Vinfast move ahead of the more-established Chinese rival in early 2026 registrations. The two companies differ sharply with their India strategies.
Vinfast knows just how price-sensitive the India market is. It has a manufacturing-first approach in India, and the same aligns well with current government policies. The company now has a huge EV factory in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu. The VF6 and VF7 are manufactured here. This plant has an annual production capacity of 50,000 units, which the brand plans to expand to 1.5 lakh units, later. The Tamil Nadu plant will also serve as the export base for markets like South Asia, Middle East and Africa.
Vinfast also prefers local sourcing aims to increase localisation further in the coming years. Courtesy of all these, the company was able to pull-off jaw-dropping prices for both the VF6 and VF7. Pricing has played a key role in generating demand and shaping the success of these products. The VF6 has its ex-showroom prices in the Rs 17.3- Rs 19.2 lakh bracket. This makes it more affordable than rivals like The Hyundai Creta Electric.
The bigger VF7 is priced in the range of Rs 21.9 lakh to Rs 26.8 lakh, ex-showroom. This electric SUV competes with the Harrier.EV, but doesn’t cost as much as one. Also, both these products belong to segments with high interest. This value-centric packaging and smart positioning helped the company in gaining traction so quickly in a competitive market like India. To back its growth further, Vinfast has also been expanding its dealer and touchpoint network aggressively.
In the upcoming years, Vinfast will bring more of its global products to India, and also try to build an entire ecosystem here by bringing in verticals like the GSM ride hailing services.
BYD, on the other hand, has a much wider portfolio. It sells the Emax7, Seal, Sealion7 and the Atto 3. These cover a wide price range and segments. All these have premium-first positioning and ex-showroom prices that are above the 30 lakh rupee mark. The Seal sedan, for example, is priced in the range of Rs 41- Rs 53.15 lakh, ex-showroom.
Next, BYD relies on imports and limited local assembly, instead of extensive local manufacturing. Globally, BYD is huge. It even became the world’s biggest EV seller in 2025, overtaking Tesla. It, however, had to face major regulatory challenges in India. The company’s proposed $1 billion EV manufacturing plant in Hyderabad was rejected by the Indian government due to security concerns related to large-scale Chinese investments. This limited the company to a small manufacturing presence here.
Even though BYD has also been expanding its dealer network rapidly, constraints brought about by the lack of local manufacturing and a footprint that is limited to premium segments, are likely slowing BYD’s growth here. The company is now considering launching more affordable products like the Atto 2 SUV, which may bring noticeable changes in its standings.
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