On January 27th, Kim Long Motor officially signed a strategic partnership with BYD Battery and broke ground on a large-scale electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Thua Thien Hue.
This event marks a significant milestone as a Vietnamese enterprise joins forces with a global leader in new energy to acquire core technology transfer. The new energy battery plant project, with a total investment of $130 million, will be implemented in two phases at the Kim Long Motor Hue Industrial Park.
In the initial phase, the plant will operate on a 4.4-hectare area with an expected annual capacity of 3GWh, focusing on batteries for commercial vehicles such as trucks, buses, and minivans. In the second phase, the project will expand by an additional 10 hectares, doubling its capacity and initiating research for passenger car battery production, aiming for export and establishing a complete production value chain.
A standout feature of this partnership is Kim Long Motor’s development of a 34-seat electric sleeper bus. Utilizing BYD’s advanced battery technology, this is expected to be the first new energy sleeper bus in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. This “Made in Vietnam” product will showcase the company’s ability to integrate green solutions into high-quality passenger transport.
According to Dao Viet Anh, CEO of Kim Long Motor, the partnership and battery plant investment are part of a long-term strategy to master key technologies. The project is anticipated to significantly increase the company’s localization rate, projected to exceed 80% by Q2/2026. Once fully operational, the manufacturing complex will not only meet the stringent demands of the domestic market but also contribute to establishing a major hub for battery and electric vehicle production, positioning Vietnam as an attractive destination in the global new energy vehicle supply chain.
TH (Tuoitrethudo)
Photo: Kim Long Motor
