Vietnamese automaker VinFast has officially begun shipping its vehicles to its first export market: the USA. The company has just reported sending 999 all-electric VF 8 SUVs there, set to reach their respective buyers by the end of the year. Another batch is penciled in for shipment in January.
The VinFast VF 8 – provisionally known as the VF e35 during its development – became available via pre-orders in the USA a year ago. However, the carmaker was only able to launch domestic production last fall, and the first 100 units made went to domestic customers in the last September.
Co-designed with Pininfarina, the crossover SUV is 4.75 meters (six feet) long and obtainable with two dual-motor/AWD powertrains to choose between. One is named Eco and offers 353 PS (348 hp / 260 kW) along with 499 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque. The other one is dubbed Plus and has 408 PS (402 hp / 300 kW) and 620 Nm (457 lb-ft).
Prices start from $57,000. Rather than buying a car with a traction battery, you can pay $42,200 and rent the battery on a monthly basis.
The manufacturer’s original plans involved delivering 5,000 electric cars to the USA, Canada and Europe, but these plans fell through. VinFast didn’t have much to say regarding this, jokingly responding that the Vietnamese considered 999 a lucky number. Most of the cars went into private hands, but some were delivered to Autonomy, a service offering cars on subscription basis. The company has placed an order for 2,500 units and obviously hasn’t received them all yet.
Overall, VinFast reports collecting nearly 65,000 pre-orders worldwide. By 2026, the company hopes to be selling 750,000 vehicles per year. A new factory is being constructed in North Carolina for this purpose right now, scheduled for launch in July 2024.
