Nanaimo sees first delivery of VinFast electric vehicles in Canada

The Nanaimo Port Authority is now full of vehicles made by a new electric car manufacturer called VinFast.

The private company produces vehicles in Vietnam and has recently made its first delivery of SUVs to Canada.

They arrived in Nanaimo via an unusual cargo ship that caught the attention of local Scott Lang, who snapped some photos of it for social media.

“This one was a different line carrier than most it had the name VinFast on it, and I was curious about that because I wasn’t aware of any shipping line called that, so I Googled it, and sure enough, it was a car manufacturer,” said Lang.

Workers unloaded 781 SUVs from VinFast that day, and the final processing for the Canadian market will happen in Nanaimo before the vehicles are sent to dealerships across Canada.

VinFast has been selling cars and scooters in its own market but now has its sights set on the rest of the world.

“I think it’s very important for us to have a new customer to the business that we’re trying to grow with VPVPC and get it going, so it will certainly help our profile in the industry,” said Ian Marr, president and CEO of the Nanaimo Port Authority.

Nearly four years ago, the Nanaimo Port Authority and its partners started accepting vehicles for processing.

The pandemic slowed vehicle purchases, but recently, sales have returned to pre-pandemic levels.

The Port Authority says it’s hoping to grow the business and get more land ready to park more vehicles.

“We will be adding that capacity this year. It was always intended to do that, but we had delayed the actual physical work until we were sure things were back,” said Marr.

The Port Authority says that once completed, there will be room for 3,000 to 3,200 vehicles, up from the current 1,800 and resulting in more sustainable jobs.

For Lang, the VinFast delivery is just a sign of the times as more and more Island drivers elect to plug in.

“In the changing world, we see Tesla’s out all the time, but this one that shows the market is broadening and getting more interesting all the time,” Lang said.

VinFast is providing one more option for vehicle buyers as the province looks to have all new cars sold in B.C. be zero-emission by 2040.

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