Vietnam's VinFast delivers first electric SUVs, aims for US expansion

MANILA: One hundred all-electric sport utility vehicles (SUVs) from a Vietnamese automaker were recently handed over to local customers, with U.S. deliveries of the model beginning as early as December.

VinFast, which launched operations in 2019, is preparing to grow in the U.S. market. With its two all-electric SUVs, the VF8 and VF9, it intends to compete with established manufacturers and newcomers while also offering battery leasing to lower the purchase price.

“The first batch of 5,000 VF8 units will be for U.S. and North American markets. Mass production will start from next week," VinFast's Global Chief Executive Le Thi Thu Thuy was quoted by Reuters as saying, during the vehicles’ delivery event at VinFast’s assembly line in Vietnam's northern province of Haiphong.

According to Thuy, VinFast, a division of Vingroup JSC (VIC.HM), will begin delivering automobiles worldwide in November and customers can expect deliveries as early as December.

By 2026, the company hopes to sell 750,000 electric vehicles annually, beginning with the VinFast VF8 and VF9 all-electric SUVs, for which it has already received close to 65,000 reservations from around the world.

In March, VinFast said it would build a production plant in North Carolina with an initial projected capacity of 150,000 EVs a year. It approached banks in July to get financing for the project of at least US $4 billion, reports said.

In the United States, the starting prices for the VinFast VF8 and VF9 vehicles, exclusive of the cost to lease the electric battery, could range from US $42,200 (P2.4 million) and $57,500 (P3.2 million), respectively. From September, VinFast will now offer clients choices that incorporate batteries.

The VinFast VF8 is a crossover with rounded proportions that features a double strip of headlamps in the front of the body along with chrome ornaments. The rest of the headlamps are positioned below a chrome bar that divides narrow LED daytime running lights. The car was styled by Pininfarina while VinFast's design team was led by director David Lyons.

The VinFast VF8 is available with several traction motor combinations. The VF8 has a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system in the US. Its output ranges from a "eco" model with 348 horsepower and 499 Nm of torque to a 402 horsepower and 620 Nm Plus variant. In Vietnam, the VF8 is also available in a single-motor variant with front-wheel drive, producing 201 hp and 320 Nm of torque.

VinFast intends to construct its own battery facility by August 2022, while the initial batteries used in the VF8 are from Samsung SDI. There are two traction battery options for the "Eco" and "Plus" models: Standard range with 82 kW-hr usable, or Extended range with 87.7 kW-hr usable..

Range estimates range from 399 kilometers for the Plus model to 470 km for the Eco version, depending on the powertrain and battery combination. In the US, batteries are leased separately from the vehicle to reduce acquisition costs and address concerns about traction battery degradation. VinFast says it will replace leased batteries if they drop below 70% of their original capacity.

The full-size VinFast VF9 model debuted alongside the VF8 model as the largest range of electric crossovers unveiled in January 2021, the Vietnamese manufacturer being the first vehicle of its type.

The VF9 features a massive silhouette with a total length of more than 5.1 meters, and is given an avant-garde style silhouette with a split window line and thin headlight and taillight bands made with matrix LED lighting. Featuring AWD, the vehicle should offer room for up to seven people in three rows of seats.

The cabin is kept to a minimalist design, with it receiving a 15.4-inch touchscreen. This touchscreen displays information from the on-board computer and speedometer as well as readings from the multimedia system.

Like his smaller VF8, the VF9 will be launched in Vietnam and will be part of VinFast's global expansion in Australia, Europe and North America. The VF9 is offered as a dual motor variant consisting of a battery with a capacity of 106 kWh producing 402 hp. The mileage on one charge is about 482km.

Photos from VinFast

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