Vinfast Maps Out Range of SUVs for North America as Customers Await First Deliveries
The Vinfast VF6.Image: Vinfast
Vinfast’s foray into the U.S. market will begin with two electric SUVs: the mid-size VF8 and full-size, three-row VF9. Those were supposed to begin arriving to reservation holders before the end of this year, though as of yet, the only Vinfast products that have made their way to customers have done so elsewhere. Still, the company isn’t easing off the accelerator. It’s taken the opportunity of the Los Angeles Auto Show, beginning Thursday, to introduce the American public to the rest of its electric SUV range: the smaller VF6 and VF7.
One day, Vinfast hopes to sell these compact crossovers on these shores as well, to complement the VF8 and VF9. The VF6 and VF7 actually debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show way back in January, but the LA Auto Show will give visitors the chance to see both cars firsthand.
The Vinfast VF7.Image: Vinfast
The smallest of the group, the VF6, wears a face reminiscent of the second-generation Nissan Juke not sold here. The VF7 gives off Mitsubishi vibes, with its stocky, Outlander-type profile. But really all of these SUVs look very similar inside and out, with the dashboard design especially holding constant to that big-ass-tablet-and-not-much-else motif across the range.
The interior of the Vinfast VF7.Image: Vinfast
G/O Media may get a commission
As Vinfast surveys interest in these more compact SUVs, the company cracks on trying to get its larger models into buyers’ hands. The first 100 vehicles were delivered in Vietnam in September, and the manufacturer is maintaining that customers in North America and Europe should begin receiving theirs before January, according to Automotive News. It says it’s received 65,000 preorders thus far, but has refrained from revealing where those preorders have been made.
The Vinfast VF6.Image: Vinfast
Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, Vinfast’s products no longer qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit, as they’re not built here. Back in August, however, the company announced it’d pick up the tab — so long as prospective customers signed a contract fully committing to purchasing the car before they get it.
That’s not the only sales strategy that changed. Previously, Vinfast had been pushing a battery leasing model where cars were sold without packs, and the batteries were subject to a monthly subscription of either $169 for the VF8 or $219 for the VF9. That remains an option, but now you can order the cars, batteries included as well. The VF8 costs $57,000 or $42,200 sans-battery, while the VF9 will set you back $76,000 or $57,500, again without a battery. Neither of those include destination charges.
The auto business isn’t kind to newcomers, but Vinfast is hoping to steamroll through these make-or-break years with a sense of urgency. The company hopes to have SUVs rolling out of a plant in North Carolina by 2024. An initial public offering could hatch as soon as this coming January. Whether it ultimately succeeds or fails, it doesn’t seem like Vinfast has any interest in dragging things out Faraday Future-style.
