Vinfast aims to deliver electric vehicles in the US by the end of 2022, establishing headquarters in Los Angeles
With an attractive introduction at the 2021 Los Angeles auto show, Vietnamese automaker Vinfast has detailed its plan to bring a duo of electric SUVs to the US and establish a foothold in the US electric vehicle market. at the end of next year with a car duo. .
Confirming reports from earlier this year, those two EVs will be VF e35 and VF e36. They form two-thirds of Vinfast’s trio of electric SUVs, including the smaller VF e34 which is not currently planned for the US. Both vehicles are on display at Vinfast’s grandiose booth at the Los Angeles auto show, in various stages of readiness. The VF e35 is more complete with the interior (though we didn’t climb inside), while the VF e36 has a complete exterior but a well-finished interior.
Vinfast VF E36
Vinfast VF E35
Vinfast won’t discuss any new vehicle details, but both SUVs are designed by Pinafarina and built by Vinfast. Ours previous reports says the larger three-row VF e36 will have a dual-motor powertrain making 402 hp and a 106 kWh battery with a range of more than 300 miles. As for the smaller VF e35, it has the option of a standard single-motor electric motor producing 201 hp, with the option of a dual-motor setup. It will come in two battery options, with an estimated range of 310 and 285 miles, respectively.
The company has ambitious (and fast-paced) plans, with Vinfast announcing at the show that it plans to start taking orders in early 2022 with the first cars delivered later this year. It also wants to build a factory in the US by 2024, and doing so could help the automaker capture some extended tax credit is currently being discussed.
Vinfast also announced that it has invested 200 million USD to locate its headquarters in Los Angeles. Additionally, the company plans to open 60 showrooms across the country next year, although most of the sales process will take place online.
Vinfast VF E35
It’s hard to hear announcements like this without thinking of other automakers from Asia (besides Japan and Korea) with American electric vehicle ambitions. Chinese automaker BYD, previously the world leader in sell electric cars, tried different ways to bring his touring cars to America. Others include Great Wall (China), NIO (China) and Mahindra (India), though the latter is trying to sell ICE cars.
Despite the challenges, there are several reasons to be optimistic about Vinfast’s chances to actually land in the US, starting with Vinfast’s substantial financial backing. Vinfast is not an independent company, but it is part of a large group called Vingroup, directed by Pham Nhat Vuong, the richest man in Vietnam. Vingroup is involved in a multitude of businesses, from owning hospitals and shopping malls, to manufacturing smartphones and now vehicles. In that way, it’s more like Hyundai than a traditional auto upstart, with a long trend in other business forms that give it some size and capital advantages over a single company. startup company.
Vinfast also did not start from scratch, but proved that it can produce cars at its main factory in Hai Phong, selling 30,000 cars last year. According to Vuong at the company’s annual meeting in June this year, the company has set a global EV sales target of 15,000 units by 2022, and if the company’s schedule is to be believed, then so That figure will also include sales in the US.
There’s still a lot of work to be done in a short amount of time for Vinfast and we’ll be sure to check as we flip the calendar to see how the Vietnamese upstart is doing.
