Green SM Asia — Vietnam’s Vingroup-backed electric mobility platform — has launched 1,000 VinFast-powered taxis in Delhi-NCR, marking its entry into India as its fifth Asian market. The move signals a new chapter in the continent’s electric vehicle revolution, led not by Silicon Valley or Detroit, but by a Vietnamese startup quietly building Asia’s most ambitious green mobility network.
From Ho Chi Minh City to Jakarta to New Delhi, the company is executing a pan-Asian playbook that rivals Grab and Gojek in ambition with one critical difference: it owns every vehicle in its fleet and puts zero-emission rides at the centre of its model.
Table of Contents
- Green SM Asia and the Vingroup Ecosystem
- Why India Is the Most Strategic Asian Market
- The VinFast Limo Green: Asia’s New Premium EV SUV
- How It Compares to Grab and Gojek
- What the India Launch Means for Asia’s EV Race
- VinFast’s Pan-Asian Ambition
- Key Takeaways
- FAQ
Green SM Asia and the Vingroup Ecosystem
Green SM Asia is the mobility division of Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate with interests spanning real estate, healthcare, education, and electric vehicles through its listed subsidiary VinFast. Vingroup’s strategy has always been ecosystem-first — and this platform is the on-road consumer face of that ecosystem across the continent.
According to the official India launch announcement, the company was established in Vietnam in 2023 and has scaled across Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, and the Philippines before entering India — five Asian markets in under three years.
Why India Is the Most Strategic Market for Green SM Asia
India is not just another market — it is the validation test for the entire pan-Asian thesis. With over 1.4 billion people, the world’s fastest-growing major economy, and one of the continent’s most competitive ride-hailing markets, India represents the ultimate stress test for any regional mobility platform.
The company launched in Delhi-NCR on June 5, 2026, deploying 1,000 VinFast Limo Green SUVs with plans to scale to 10,000 vehicles nationally. GSM Global CEO Nguyen Van Thanh described India as “one of the most important mobility markets in the world,” signalling a long-term commitment to South Asia.
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The VinFast Limo Green: Powering the Fleet
Every ride on the platform runs on the VinFast Limo Green — a seven-seater electric SUV built for commercial passenger transportation. Each vehicle features AI-powered safety monitoring, interior and exterior cameras, emergency assistance buttons, and passenger amenities including drinking water. The premium SUV format targets the top 7 to 10 percent of the ride-hailing market — business travellers, airport transfers, and premium daily commuters across major Asian cities.
How Green SM Asia Compares to Grab and Gojek
The comparison to Grab and Gojek is inevitable — both are Southeast Asian mobility giants that expanded by aggregating third-party drivers. This company’s model is fundamentally different. Where Grab and Gojek are platforms, this operator owns the fleet, employs the drivers, controls the vehicles, and sets service standards end-to-end.
This fleet-ownership model eliminates the driver quality problem that has plagued every aggregator across Asia. In markets like India where rider trust was damaged by BluSmart’s collapse, the consistent quality carries a credibility premium competitors cannot replicate. Learn more at the Green SM official website.
What This India Launch Means for Asia’s EV Race
Asia is home to the world’s largest concentration of two and three-wheeler EVs, but four-wheeler electric mobility at scale is still early. This India entry demonstrates that an Asian-born, Asian-funded EV mobility company can compete in one of the continent’s most demanding markets without Western capital or technology.
The company offers drivers a guaranteed minimum of Rs 35,000 per month for the first two months, with 80 percent of services targeting direct consumers. Early reports show strong driver enrolment from competing platforms, confirming the operator model resonates with professional drivers who want income stability over gig-economy uncertainty.
VinFast’s Pan-Asian Ambition Through Green SM Asia
For VinFast, these taxi operations serve a strategic purpose beyond ride revenue. Every fare puts a potential private car buyer inside a VinFast vehicle. Every kilometre generates real-world performance data under Asian road conditions. With 10,000 vehicles targeted for India alone, VinFast is set to become one of the most visible automotive brands on Indian roads — building the consumer familiarity that no advertising campaign can match.
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Key Takeaways
- Green SM Asia, backed by Vietnam’s Vingroup and VinFast, launched 1,000 electric taxis in Delhi-NCR on June 5, 2026 as its fifth Asian market.
- The fleet-owned model differs from Grab and Gojek, giving direct control over quality and service consistency.
- The service targets the premium 7 to 10 percent of the ride-hailing market across business travel, airport transfers, and premium commuting.
- Plans to scale to 10,000 vehicles across India, making VinFast one of the most visible automotive brands on Indian roads.
- The commercial fleet doubles as Asia’s largest real-world EV consumer education programme for VinFast.
- Expansion across Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Philippines, and India positions Vingroup as a serious challenger in Asia’s electric mobility race.
FAQ
What is Green SM Asia?
Green SM Asia is the electric mobility division of Vietnam’s Vingroup conglomerate, operating fully electric taxi fleets using VinFast vehicles. Launched in 2023, it now operates in five Asian markets including India.
How is it different from Grab and Gojek?
Unlike Grab and Gojek which aggregate third-party drivers, Green SM Asia owns and operates its entire fleet, giving it direct control over vehicle quality, safety, and customer experience.
Which Asian markets does it operate in?
The company currently operates in Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines, and India — five markets across Southeast Asia and South Asia as of June 2026.
What is VinFast’s strategy in Asia?
VinFast is positioning itself as Asia’s answer to Tesla, using the Green SM Asia commercial fleet to build brand awareness and gather real-world EV performance data before targeting private car buyers across Asian markets.