The success of the VF 8 and VF 9 are important for the automaker as it plans to build a factory in North Carolina, with production starting in 2025. Currently, VinFast vehicles don’t qualify for the up to $7,500 U.S. federal tax credit, which requires North American assembly.
“VinFast celebrated the delivery of the first 27 VF 9 all-electric SUVs to its customers at [events] in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam,” the automaker said Monday. VinFast expects to export the VF 9 to North America “in the coming months” and to open reservations for two smaller models, the VF 6 and VF 7.
The VF 9 comes in 6- and 7-seat configurations with luxury features available such as a panoramic glass roof, heated and ventilated front seats with a massage function, 15.6-inch infotainment screen and head-up display.
“I am confident that VinFast’s high-quality electric vehicles will meet the needs of our customers, bringing a high level of satisfaction to customers around the world,” said CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy in a press release.
The first shipment of 999 VF 8s to reach U.S. shores was a bit of a disappointment, industry analysts said, given the limited range of the City Edition and its elevated price for an unknown brand trying to crack the U.S. market.
For its second shipment, Vinfast will send 900 VF 8 standard-range vehicles to California and 900 to Canada, Thuy said in a statement to Bloomberg. The sticker is expected to start at $49,000 in the U.S., not including shipping, and C$57,500 in Canada, she said.
The standard-edition VF 8 has an estimated range of 293 miles for the Eco trim and 278 miles for the Plus trim, based on the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure used in Europe. In the U.S., EPA range estimates are generally lower for the same vehicle since test conditions are more demanding in the U.S.
VinFast, which filed for an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in December, is considering the IPO as soon as the second quarter of this year, Bloomberg reported in January.
VinFast’s latest pre-IPO filing showed the company lost $2.1 billion in the 12 months ended Dec. 31, deepening its spending after losses of $800 million in 2020 and $1.4 billion in 2021.
