VinFast, which became the countrys first full-fledged domestic vehicle producer in 2019, plans to switch to producing fully electric vehicles starting at the end of 2022. To begin, Vietnamese EV maker VinFast will begin imports of vehicles from Asia, with plans to have a Vietnamese-owned U.S. factory, located in North Carolina, starting production around 18 months later.
VinFasts US car line-up will begin with two car options, a five-seater VF 8, and an electric van, VF 9. The six-seater VF 8, the electric van, VF 9. VinFast will begin with two vehicles confirmed for the American market, the VF8 and VF9.
VinFast is currently building the VF8, which is a medium-sized electric SUV, and the VF9, which is a full-sized electric SUV. Vinfast says the VF8 will go 0-60 miles per hour in 5.3 seconds, comes standard with dual-motor AWD, and starts at $40,700.
If these starting MSRPs sound a bit cheap for an electric SUV with AWD, that is because VinFast does not include a battery pack with the vehicles price. There was a time that this would be impressive for EVs starting around $40,000, but VinFast could be losing customers with its convoluted battery-subscription program that requires leasing the batteries that are not included in the purchase price. It is also possible that VinFast is having second thoughts, since VinFast followed up its initial announcement about plans for sales with an addendum that customers will have a choice between battery subscriptions or purchases by 2024.
VinFast LLC would focus its R&D efforts on battery-electric vehicles instead. VinFast is a Vietnamese start-up carmaker, which has recently detailed plans for selling — and ultimately building — its vehicles in the U.S. VinFast LLC claims to be Vietnams first mass-market carmaker, and also the first Vietnamese carmaker to attend a major international car show. VinFast says it plans a total investment of $4 billion for its first US manufacturing complex.
HANOI/SAN FRANCISCO, March 29 (Reuters) – Vietnamese carmaker VinFast said Tuesday that it has signed an initial agreement to invest $2 billion initially in the construction of a North Carolina plant that will produce electric buses, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) alongside batteries for electric cars. The factory in North Carolina will produce electric buses, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) alongside batteries for electric cars. VinFast announced plans to invest over $2 billion into the North Carolina plant, which is expected to start operating in 2024. Earlier this year, this emerging carmaker announced plans to build a $2 billion electric car (EV) manufacturing plant in North Carolina. VinFast, the Vietnamese-based electric car manufacturer and a member of Vingroup, announced that VinFast has received a $1.2 billion incentive package from the State of North Carolina to support its plans for building the production plant in the Triangle Innovation Point area in Chatham County.
Vietnamese carmaker VinFasts first foray into U.S. statehood was the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show, where it showed its smaller, two-row, midsize VF8 SUV (priced at $41,000) and the VF9, a larger, but still midsize SUV, which starts at about $56,000. In January 2022, at the Las Vegas CES, Vietnamese automaker VinFast unveiled three more electric crossovers (VF5, VF6, VF7), a new booking program including trips to Vietnam, and said that it was closing down its gas-powered car operations. VinFast was announced in fall 2017, barely a year later, VinFast had three gasoline-powered cars available in the home country, as well as a factory for its electric scooters. In June 2018, VinFasts parent company, VinGroup, bought a GM plant outside of Hanoi, and licensing intellectual property from GM and other automotive giants such as BMW, it began producing its first gasoline-powered VinFast vehicles less than a year later.
VinFasts parent company, VinGroup,s first two models aimed at the US market were stylish-looking SUVs, the VF8 and the VF9. By late 2021, VinFast is selling EV scooters, EV buses, and the VF E34, a small EV SUV roughly the size of Toyotas C-HR, with promises of two larger models, the VF8 and the VF9. VinFast LLC signed two contracts with Siemens Vietnam, an arm of Siemens AG, for technology and components for electric bus production in Southeast Asian countries, in August 2018. On December 25, 2021, Vinfast delivered its first shipment of 100 electric VF E34 crossovers to Vietnamese customers at the Vinfast manufacturing complex in Hai Phong.
On 6 January 2022, reports surfaced indicating VinFast LLC planned to construct new electric car factories in Germany and the US, part of the companys plans to phase out production of gas-powered vehicles, transitioning entirely to electric vehicles by late 2022. In January 2022, VinFast LLC announced it would stop producing its lineup of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, which consisted of the LUX A sedan, the LUX SA and President SUVs, and the Fadil Hatchback, by the end of 2022. The companys newly created subsidiary was established in 2017, and is responsible for building cars for both domestic Vietnamese markets as well as selected export markets such as Russia.
The manufacturing facility would span 2000 acres, divided into two main production lines: one to produce electric cars and buses, the other to provide support industries to suppliers. The facility ultimately will have a capacity of producing as many as 150,000 battery-electric vehicles per year, and VinFast plans to begin by producing the two larger SUVs it unveiled at the CES trade show in January. Along with two electric SUVs, the North Carolina VinFast operations will manufacture all-electric buses, along with components like engines and batteries.