In July, it broke ground on a new factory in North Carolina, which it hopes to use as a base for US sales. The company says the facility may eventually reach capacity of 150,000 vehicles a year. The VF8 also comes with the standard suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) similar to most contemporary vehicles.
Export plans
ButVinfast currently has no plans to enter China, another one of the largest automotive markets in the world. One reminded readers that it was the company’s first effort at a car for the US market. Another praised the power delivery from the SUV’s advanced candlestick patterns electric motors. In recent months, VinFast has been hit by poor reviews about its electric SUV, the VF 8, after letting US reporters test drive the vehicle.
It’s too early to judge the VF 8’s fit and finish, as there are some preproduction and ill-fitting parts in evidence (including a power seat controller wired in reverse). For starters, the 2023 VinFast VF 8 is the right vehicle at the right time. North America’s compact electric crossover SUV segment is rapidly blooming, and this five-seat model is sized and designed to establish a beachhead in the heart of this emerging market. Ditto for Korea’s Hyundai and Kia, both of which admittedly managed the trick significantly more quickly.
(39.6-cm) infotainment touchscreen controls most driver-engaged functions. It also supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wirelessly. While it How to buy feg token might not be much of a consolation if you’ve had an order in for all of that time, there is some good news. The starting price has been slashed by $10,000 since the last time VinFast put out numbers, with the base price set from $69,800.
The nose is the single most expressive and potentially controversial aspect of the exterior, but even if the face isn’t your favorite, the design isn’t so out there as to be a turn-off for most buyers. In profile, the VF 8 looks rather nondescript — its most interesting details are the tapered indentation along the door bottoms and a raked rear window. Vinfast, a car company based in Vietnam, unveiled a pair of electric SUVs Wednesday that it plans to begin selling in the United States next year. VinFast, an electric vehicle maker, enjoyed a red-hot debut in New York on Tuesday after merging with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), Black Spade Acquisition Co. VinFast could learn from Hyundai’s history in the American marketplace.
Decades before, Japanese brands like Toyota, Honda and Subaru got their start in the US with a similar strategy. VinFast chose to become vertically integrated, making the vast majority of parts themselves. In addition to cars and SUVs, VinFast also produces e-scooters, e-buses, battery systems, and vehicle charging stations for Vietnam. However, VinFast’s path to becoming a purveyor of competitive EVs has been a bit bumpy, to say the least.
For one thing, when critics got the chance to drive the company’s first US-bound product, the VF8 electric SUV, the resulting reviews weren’t what any automaker would hope for. The “launch reinforces VinFast’s commitment to establishing a foothold in one of the world’s most competitive automotive markets, Vinfast emphasised in its press release. A special promotion offers the Plus version for qualified lessees at $529 per month, with a $3,500 discount and a $2,000 down payment. The Eco model will follow later this year, the company said.
Vingroup corporate power
Both get dual-motor AWD systems and have 402 horsepower and 457 lb-ft of torque from their electric motors. But 20-inch wheels instead of 21s and a bit less equipment means Eco models deliver significantly more range. Despite such dire conditions, if I had to place my chips on a single new automaker to escape the mire, it’s Vietnam’s VinFast. In fact, there’s ample reason to believe the company won’t just survive, it will likely shortly emerge as a global force, including right here in America. I say this after having flown to Asia to learn about the company and drive its first US-bound model, the 2023 VF 8 electric SUV. My trip quickly turned out to be as much of a test drive of VinFast itself as it is of its forthcoming battery-powered compact crossover.
Schedule a test drive
Yesterday, the company officially launched its flagship VF 9 all-electric, 7-passenger, 3-row SUV in the U.S., marking a significant step in the company’s expansion into one of the world’s most competitive automotive markets. The company has been making running improvements to the VF8, however. WardsAuto recently drove a VF8 and found it to be adequate, albeit with some design choices that could still hold it back in the U.S., such as a lack of knobs/switchgear around the center screen. The company is offering a 3-year lease for $249 per month, with no money down on the VF8, so if nothing else it is a big value story. The Plus helps justify the price premium by including fog lights, 12-way power heated/ventilated/massaging driver’s seat with memory, as well as 8-way power adjustment for second-row seats. The Plus can be ordered with seating for six as well as seven.
2025 VinFast VF9 3-Row CUV Hits Dealerships2025 VinFast VF9 3-Row CUV Hits Dealerships
Originally, the MSRP did not include the battery, which was sold as a subscription service. Once that was dropped, pricing climbed to $83,000 or $91,000 for Plus. My drive is limited to quick acceleration blasts up and down a road between factory buildings, with a U-turn on one end and a keyhole loop return on the other. Signage suggests our tests are to be capped at 80 kph (50 mph), but the engineer sitting in my passenger seat allows me to go far more quickly, touching 100 mph before braking hard into the left-handed keyhole.
- VinFast doesn’t quote a maximum rate, but does say that the percent charge time is 35 minutes.
- It also is critical of the interior materials, which its testers doubt will hold up well over time against rough-and-tumble kids.
- The carmaker broke ground on its first American factory in North Carolina last month with plans to begin production at the $4 billion facility in 2025—as of June, only 137 electric vehicles by VinFast were registered on U.S. roads.
- The purchase option at the lease end, excluding tax, title, and government fees, is $21,712, plus a purchase option fee of $350.
Bypassing independent franchised auto dealers, something electric car start-ups like Tesla and Rivian also do, has led to legal battles in a number of states where an automaker selling directly to consumers violates state laws. Vinfast plans to roll out Vinfast showrooms in other US states in the coming years, Nguyen said. The company will initially begin selling its electric SUVs next year in California through 60 company-owned outlets rather than through independent dealers, said Nguyen, as most cars in the US are currently sold. In addition to the two electric SUVs, VInfast also recently unveiled its US headquarters in asset pricing and portfolio choice theory Los Angeles. For now, the company plans to build these SUVs in Vietnam but there are plans for a US factory in the second half of 2024, said Lohscheller.