Kim Long Motor will finance the construction of a battery factory for electric vehicles (EVs) at its automotive production and assembly industrial park in Huế, Vietnam. BYD, meanwhile, will provide the technology and oversee the technical implementation. This collaboration aims to enable Kim Long Motor to gradually master battery production technology, ensuring the performance, safety, and competitiveness of its electric vehicles.
In its first phase, the plant will focus solely on batteries for commercial vehicles, although it currently remains unclear whether the facility will produce battery cells, modules, packs, or complete systems.
Covering a site spanning over 4.4 hectares, the factory is planned to achieve an annual capacity of around 3 GWh, which will power electric trucks, buses, minivans, and minibuses. The company is particularly highlighting a newly developed electric nightliner with 34 sleeping berths that will use BYD batteries. To date, the manufacturer has offered such models with diesel engines under the name Kim Long 99.
In a second expansion phase, the battery factory will also produce traction batteries for electric passenger cars. This will expand the plant’s size to 10 hectares and increase its total annual capacity to 6 GWh. The highly automated BYD battery plant is expected not only to meet demand in Vietnam but also to boost Kim Long Motor’s export opportunities to countries within and beyond Southeast Asia.
Dao Viet Anh, General Director of Kim Long Motor, said of the partnership: “Kim Long Motor recognises that the development of electric vehicles is not only an inevitable trend but also a long-term strategy closely linked to the independence of the national industry. Our strategic partnership with BYD Group and the investment in the BYD battery factory demonstrate our strong commitment to mastering core technologies, rather than limiting ourselves to assembly or processing.”
Once operational, the BYD battery factory is expected to help the company achieve a localisation rate of over 80 per cent by the second quarter of 2026 and gradually establish a regional production hub for batteries and electric vehicles.
Kim Long Motor is working with different battery makers for its vehicles. In August 2025, Kim Long Motor also reached an agreement with South Korean battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution (LGES) to assemble battery cells into battery packs at its facility in Huế. The LGES cells are reportedly cylindrical units with NMC chemistry, which Kim Long Motor uses for its electric buses.
reuters.com, linkedin.com, kimlongmotor.com.vn (Vietnamese)
