On November 25, VinFast became the first Vietnamese automaker to export a batch of 999 VF8 electric cars to the US, from MPC Port, Hai An district.

At the ceremony, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper said: “Today is also a very special day for me because the first VinFast cars will be transported to Los Angeles, California – my hometown”. Marc Knapper also thanked VinFast for building a factory in the US and creating jobs for thousands of workers. He said that the VF8 cars are a great gift to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the comprehensive partnership between the two countries.

After the export ceremony, the VF 8 will board the ship and go to the US with a period of 20 days at sea. The destination in the US is the port of California, where customs clearance and delivery of cars to customers at the end of December.

At MPC Port Hai Phong, the Panamanian-flagged Silver Queen ship with a length of more than 180 m painted white with the prominent VinFast logo and name was waiting. Right next to it, on the parking lot are 999 colorful VF8 cars and 18 cars of the export ceremony.

Thus, one year after the launch of American customers at the Los Angeles Auto Show 2021, the Vietnamese automaker began to deliver cars to customers who have booked.

After the US market, VinFast will continue to export VF 8 to Canada and Europe for delivery in 2023. The company currently announced the number of 65,000 orders for VF 8 and VF 9 in the international market.

In Vietnam, VF 8 has been delivered to Vietnamese customers since September but has not announced the number of vehicles delivered. A representative of the company said that the export of cars to the US does not affect the delivery of goods to domestic customers. With VF 9, VinFast has planned to hand over to Vietnam and international markets in the first quarter of 2023.

This is the first time that a car company in Vietnam (both a joint venture and a Vietnamese brand) has exported cars to the US market, where technical barriers are high, and customers have too many other car choices. The US is the promised land of car manufacturers around the world. Most recently, many car manufacturers from China have entered this market, but they all face difficulties.

In Vietnam’s auto industry and related accessories, only tires are the most prominent products sold to the US. Currently, Vietnam exports tires to about 140 countries, of which the US alone accounts for 60%.

Currently, VinFast’s electric vehicle range in Vietnam has VF e34, VF8, and soon VF9. Meanwhile, in the world there will be VF5, VF6, VF7 (same segment with e34) next to VF8 and VF9.

VF e34 in Vietnam has a list price from 710 million VND without battery and 900 million VND with battery. The price of the VF 8 is 1,094-1,263 million VND for customers who rent batteries, and 1,478-1,646 million VND for customers who buy batteries. The VF 9 model also has two similar levels, for customers who pay monthly battery fees and those who buy out of batteries, respectively, at VND 1,491-1,685 million and VND 1,970 – 2,178 million, respectively.

With the VF 8, prices in the US for 4 battery versions including Eco 1 battery, Eco 2 battery, Plus 1 battery, and Plus 2 batteries are 40,700, 41,000, 47,700 and 48,000 USD, respectively. This price does not include the battery rental fee, which is calculated in two fixed and flexible rental plans, respectively 35 and 100 USD per month.

In Vietnam, VF 8 is the only pure-electric product in the D-size SUV segment, where there is Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe, Mazda CX-8 unibody structure and Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest, Isuzu mu-X, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport removable chassis. The price of the VF 8 is in the middle of the models in the D-segment.

The vehicle is equipped with a lithium-ion battery for a range of 460 km or 510 km, depending on the customer’s choice when buying a car. The car is equipped with two electric motors divided equally between the front and rear axles, producing 402 horsepower and 640 Nm of torque. Acceleration time from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.5 seconds (expected target). Full-time 4-wheel drive system.

Source: vnexpress.net