VinFast: 5 Facts About the New Vietnamese Automaker

A new country wants to claim its place on the global automotive scene: Vietnam. A very young story (since 2017) and rapid: by the end of this year, VinFast’s first 100% electric models could arrive on our market. We closely followed the reveal of… no less than 5 new models on their stand at CES in Las Vegas.

5 models: VF 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 are the names of the models displayed on VinFast’s stand at CES in Las Vegas, unveiled with great fanfare in a somewhat muted exhibition. SUVs of all sizes (segments A to E), with a modern style already very refined despite some hesitations regarding their lighting signature, designed under the supervision of American David Lyon (former GM), with Pininfarina and Torino Design.

100,000: this is both the number of cars produced by the young brand and the first annual battery manufacturing target in a new factory whose construction has begun. Assembly plants are planned in the USA, then in Europe.

A launch with major models

€43,350: this is the announced base price for the first marketed model, the VF8, a large D-segment SUV, including battery rental, an option already seen at the launch of the Renault Zoe and abandoned since. Here, two plans will be available, with less than 500 km/month or unlimited, with prices claimed to be comparable to the costs of a gasoline car.

This VF8 promises a WLTP range of 504 km, comparable to a Tesla Model Y (507 km), and a 0 to 100 km/h time in 5.5 seconds, with comfortable power and torque of 300 kW (408 hp) and 640 Nm respectively. It will also offer, like most of its competitors, Level 2 autonomous driving (adaptive cruise control + lane keeping).

10 years or 200,000 km: this warranty clearly aims to reassure, while quality is an obsession emphasized by Ms. Thuy, CEO of the brand, who replaced Mr. Lohscheller (former Opel) at short notice after a few months. VinFast is part of the very solid Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup, valued at $35 billion in sectors unrelated to automotive (real estate, services…). A group with very ambitious goals, heavily investing to gather talents from the industry and collaborate with major suppliers. Time will tell if this will be enough to establish itself in an increasingly crowded electric market filled with “exotic” brands.

Unique « goodies

To stand out, VinFast is going all out by offering its first pre-ordering customers… a stay in Vietnam at one of the group’s luxury hotels, for a week with family. No car included, and the flight ticket still has to be paid for, but it’s an original idea.

An €2,500 voucher is also offered to the first to reserve their VF8 for €150, and a tree will be planted in their name in Vietnam. Clearly, the young brand is trying to make a name for itself very quickly. The next step is to test the first models to see what these cars are really worth—likely possible by the end of 2022.