HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Taxi operator Mai Linh Group and Renault signed a contract to import electric automobiles for the group's passenger transport services late last week.

Plans call for Mai Linh to import 100 Fluence ZE electric cars at a price of US$29,000 each, to be operated in Ha Noi, HCM City, and Da Nang. The cars are expected to arrive in Viet Nam in June.

According to Roland Bouchara, Renault's vice chairman in the Asia-Pacific region, this is the first and largest batch of Renault electric cars imported to ASEAN, indicating that Viet Nam is one of the fastest growing countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

At the same day, French ambassador in Viet Nam Jean Noel Poirier and a representative of the Ha Noi People's Committee also signed an agreement, as part of the environmental protection programme.

Last December, Mai Linh and Auto Motors Viet Nam, the exclusive importer of Renault cars in the country, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the importing of electric cars. Accordingly, Mai Linh will import between 10,000 and 20,000 electric cars within five years. — VNS