For VinFast in the United States, it has been a rocky start and a crazy journey thus far. The firm said it had over 24,000 orders from all around the world just 48 hours of opening order books when it debuted its first electric vehicle, the VF8, at the LA Auto Show in 2021.
The initial shipments to the United States arrived in late November, but it took a while before the vehicles could be delivered to customers. Officially, the cars were awaiting VinFast’s most recent software update, but the battery performance was more likely to blame. The EPA’s rating of 207 miles for the automobiles shipped to the US caused the business to swiftly re-evaluate its marketing plan.
To reflect its short range, VinFast rebranded the VF8 to the VF8 City Edition Eco; the Plus trim of the same vehicle receives an even lesser 179-mile rating from the EPA. Despite the company proposing a number of financial incentives, including offering the VF8 as a lease vehicle through a US banking institution (US Bancorp) and thus eligible for the $7,500 EV tax credit, customers were quick to cancel orders. In the end, not even the $274/month lease could persuade people to purchase the VF8.
The Larger VF9 Coming to US as part of Expansion Plans
According to a VinFast announcement, all VF8s entering the US going forward would have larger batteries and a 293-mile range. All flaws should now be resolved, and the VF8 should remain competitive if the company maintains its pricing strategy.
The VF9, VinFast’s largest electric SUV, will be coming to North America, the company said at the same time. The first vehicles won’t arrive at the NY docks for a few months, but the huge 6 and 7-seat SUV has a 402 hp AWD powertrain and a 92 kWh battery that can reportedly support driving for 272 miles on a single charge.
The automotive industry’s most audacious expansion plans are those of VinFast. The business is just a few years old, has been producing electric vehicles for a little over two years, and plans to construct facilities across the world. Currently on hold, manufacturing at its North Carolina-based US factory won’t begin until at least 2025.
VinFast intends to increase its US offering despite the early setbacks. The relatively small VF6 and VF7 are being prepped for export, and order books will open soon after the VF9 arrives in North America.
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