(Reuters) -Vietnam's VinFast reported a bigger third-quarter net loss on Friday as the electric vehicle maker spent heavily to expand its footprint and boost sales amid intense competition in Southeast Asia, the company's largest market. Shares of the company were down 13% in early trading. VinFast signed two loan facilities during the quarter totaling $250 million, as it looks to ratchet up its ambitious growth strategy and expand internationally even amid tariff pressures and subdued demand in the United States. Still, taking on additional debt could hammer the loss-making company's margins at a time when it works aggressively to cut costs by shifting to a dealership-based model and optimizing its supply chain. "The company has shifted its focus from the U.S. and Europe to other Asian markets but faces similar challenges competing with Tesla and Chinese EVs, with its premium pricing a major hurdle," said Third Bridge analyst Izabella Yan. VinFast's third-quarter loss widened to 24 trillion dong ($910.85 million) from 13.25 trillion dong a year ago. Quarterly gross margin was negative 56.2%, compared with negative 24% last year, largely attributed to higher warranty provision rates and cost of vehicle sold, VinFast said. Since its inception in 2017, VinFast has relied heavily on financial support from founder and the country's richest person, Pham Nhat Vuong. E-scooter and e-bike deliveries soared more than six-fold in the quarter after Hanoi announced plans to ban petrol-powered motorbikes in the city center starting in mid-2026. The company's total revenues for the quarter stood at 18.1 trillion dong, a rise of nearly 47% from the same period last year. ($1 = 26,349.0000 dong) (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
