Vietnamese battery electric vehicle (BEV) maker VinFast announced that it has signed a distribution agreement with local company Exposure SARL in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). VinFast confirmed that the new partnership will initially focus on the supply of battery-powered taxis for use in the country’s capital city, Kinshasa.

VinFast said the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with Exposure marks an “important milestone in its international expansion strategy and a major step forward in promoting the transition to green transportation in the capital of the DRC.”

VinFast will make available its “commercial-oriented” Limo Green and Herio Green MPV models for use as taxis in Kinshasa. Exposure is also looking to become the general distributor for VinFast’s private passenger vehicles in the DRC and has agreed to work with the Vietnamese automaker to put together a business plan suited to local market conditions.

Duong Thi Thu Trang, VinFast’s deputy CEO of Global Sales, said in a statement: “The cooperation with Exposure SARL reflects VinFast’s confidence in the potential for green transportation in Africa and reaffirms our commitment to delivering modern, accessible green mobility solutions tailored to each market. We believe that VinFast’s electric vehicle products, proven across multiple markets, combined with Exposure’s local expertise, will help accelerate the transition to green transportation in Congo.”

Exposure CEO, Fely Samuna Lukwaka, added: “We are very pleased to cooperate with VinFast toward a low-emission mobility future for the DRC in general, and in the capital city Kinshasa in particular. With a population of more than 120 million and a strategic location bordering nine countries, forming a regional market of over 200 million people, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has strong potential to become a gateway for electric vehicle development in Central Africa. We have full confidence in VinFast’s technological capabilities and product ecosystem, and we expect this cooperation to establish a foundation for the next stages of development of the electric vehicle market not only in the DRC but across the wider region.”