VinFast’s 4-point attack: Will PH EV disruption follow that of Vietnam?
In a move that was equal parts marketing savvy and symbolic mission statement, VinFast last Oct. 22 launched its “Pili-Pinas” design campaign. By asking Filipinos to vote on their preferred EV design, the Vietnamese automaker was, on the surface, just celebrating local creativity.
But beneath the surface, the speech delivered by industry veteran Toti Zara, CEO of VinFast Southeast Asia, was anything but a simple marketing exercise. It was a clear, data-driven, and daring move for disrupting the Philippine auto market.
Zara, making a notable return to the local stage, framed his entire narrative around a simple idea: “Rules were meant to be broken.” And he brought receipts.
The ‘40-percent’ bragging right
The centerpiece of Zara’s argument wasn’t a car. It was a number: 40 percent.
This, he claimed, is Vietnam’s current market penetration rate for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). It’s a figure that sounds unbelievable until you check the data. In 2025, Vietnam has surged to become the world’s leader in EV market share, outpacing even China, which Zara pegs at around 30% (when counting BEVs only, not all new energy vehicles, or NEVs).
This single data point is the foundation of his entire argument. He then pointed to our neighbors: Thailand, with a BEV penetration rate now climbing past 20%, and Indonesia, where electrification is a national mandate.
Zara’s logic for the Philippines is, therefore, brutally simple. “We cannot buckle the trend,” he stated. As a country that imports the vast majority of its vehicles from these very same Asean neighbors and China, the Philippines is not a market island. We are the last, inevitable domino. The EV disruption isn’t just coming; it’s already being loaded onto container ships within the region.
The 4-pronged disruption
If the onslaught of regional manufacturing isn’t enough to force the change, Zara unveiled VinFast’s 4-pronged strategy to accelerate it from within—a plan that directly addresses every major pain point for the Filipino consumer.
The warranty issue: While the industry standard holds at three to five years, VinFast is offering a 6-year vehicle warranty and, more critically, a 10-year warranty for the battery. This is a direct shot at the number one consumer fear: Battery longevity and replacement cost.
The service proposition: Zara is bypassing the traditional, and often slow, dealer-centric service model. By appointing up to 100 third-party workshops to handle not just periodic maintenance but also warranty repairs, VinFast is making serviceability accessible and convenient, solving a problem that has plagued new brands for decades.
The resale value guarantee: To nip the “what’s it worth in 3 years?” anxiety, VinFast promises a residual value guarantee program. The claim of guaranteeing “up to 90 percent” of the car’s value within six months is a bold, confidence-building move that effectively removes short-term buyer’s remorse.
The price game-changer: This is the masterstroke. VinFast will unbundle the single most expensive part of the car—the battery. By offering a “battery subscription” program for “less than P2,000” a month, Zara has single-handedly neutralized the high upfront cost of EVs. As he noted, this monthly fee is far less than the combined savings on fuel and maintenance. It transforms the EV from a high-capital purchase into a low-cost utility.
The “Pili-Pinas” campaign was a polite invitation to the party. But as Zara’s speech made clear, the real disruption is happening with or without an invitation. With a proven playbook from Vietnam, unstoppable regional market forces, and an aggressive, consumer-focused business model designed to break every local industry “rule,” VinFast isn’t just asking to join the Philippine market. It is planning to rewrite it. And the penmanship is unmistakably Zara’s.
