The Vietnamese electric carmaker VinFast, apart from selling EVs in India, has now entered a new business. For those who may not be aware, VinFast has entered the taxi service business in India with its new company, Green SM. And as part of this business, it has rolled out 10,000 VinFast Limo Green electric MPVs across North India, and it has started hiring drivers for its electric taxis.
Recently, a video showing VinFast Limo Green MPVs with taxi registration has been shared online. In this video, we can note that there are multiple VinFast Limo Green electric MPVs. All of these have been registered as taxis and have black and yellow number plates. Also, all of these EVs are finished in grey color.
The person who has recorded this video can be heard mentioning that the company Green SM has entered India with 10,000 electric cars. As a result, it has started hiring drivers. The person also highlights that the company is offering a salary of around Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 to the drivers.
It has been reported that VinFast has entered the taxi business with 10,000 cars, which include the VF5 electric SUV and the Limo Green electric MPV. In addition to these, it is also planning to enter electric motorcycles as well, and it has planned over 1,00,000 units for its operations.
As stated above, Green SM India Private Limited is the parent company which has entered the taxi business in the country. Its registered office is in Gurugram, Haryana, and it has an authorised capital of Rs 254 crore. Most likely, the cost of the cars and bikes has not been included in this tally, as it could be leasing these cars from VinFast.
Now, coming to the vehicle seen in the video, it is the VinFast Limo Green electric MPV. From the outside, it may look like the VF MPV 7, which was recently launched. However, the VF MPV 7 is for private buyers. The company is offering Limo Green to fleet buyers. What makes the VinFast Limo Green different in the cabin is the interior color scheme, and it misses out on some features.
The standard VF MPV 7 comes equipped with a dual-tone cabin. However, the Limo Green is offered with an all-black cabin with fabric upholstery, which is easier to clean and maintain. The Limo Green on the outside also gets steel wheels with wheel covers to cut down the cost.
Apart from these, the VinFast Limo Green comes equipped with a similar dashboard layout, which houses the central freestanding 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It also gets wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, four speakers, and automatic climate control.
Coming to the powertrain side of things, the VinFast Limo Green electric MPV comes with the same 60.13 kWh battery pack, which offers an ARAI-certified range of 517 km. As for the electric motor, it gets a front-wheel-drive motor which makes 201 bhp and 280 Nm of torque. It can reach a top speed of 140 kmph. Additionally, the VinFast VF5 is also a part of Green SM’s EV taxi fleet.