VinFast ships first batch of electric car exports to US

VinFast, dubbed Vietnam's Tesla, shipped the first batch of electric vehicle exports from its manufacturing complex in Hai Phong to the U.S. on Friday.

The shipment of 999 all-electric VF 8 cars marked a milestone in the Vietnamese auto industry. The SUVs were loaded onto the Panama-registered Silver Queen, slated to arrive in California about 20 days after departing from MPC Port in the northern Vietnamese city.

The first VinFast customers in the U.S. would receive their EVs by the end of December 2022, the producer said.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told Friday’s VinFast shipment ceremony: “This is a remarkable landmark in the history of Vietnam’s automotive industry as Vietnamese-branded electric cars have officially entered the global market.”

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung also joined the event.

U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper said the milestone was of great significance to both Vietnam and the U.S. He expressed his gratitude for VinFast’s efforts to build a manufacturing facility in North Carolina, saying VinFast’s car exportation would help the two nations’ relationship grow stronger.

This first batch derives from 65,000 global orders already made for VinFast’s VF 8 and VF 9 SUVs - models in the D and E segments.

Following it, the Vietnamese EV startup will send more VF 8 cars to Canada and Europe for customer deliveries by early 2023.

The first VF 9 models would also be handed over to customers in Vietnam and international markets in the first quarter of next year, said VinFast, the car unit of Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate Vingroup.

At the ceremony, Nguyen Viet Quang, vice chairman and CEO of Vingroup, said VinFast’s EV exportation showed Vietnam has successfully produced high-quality EVs. “We hope that when VinFast’s smart electric vehicles roll out on the streets around the world, it will help promote the image of a new, dynamic and progressive Vietnam to the global audience.”

With a luxurious design, integrated advanced smart technologies, attainable pricing, and best-in-class after-sales policies, the VF 8 and VF 9 are VinFast’s premium electric SUV models in the D and E segments.

At the Los Angeles Auto Show 2022 on November 17-28, VinFast announced a new order signed with Autonomy, the largest car subscription service firm in the U.S., for more than 2,500 units of the two models.

VinFast opened six stores in California this July and launched its first one in Canada on November 16 while planning to open seven more in the Canadian market before the year-end.

The company said this July it had secured about $1.2 billion in incentives for its planned U.S. facility in North Carolina, at the Triangle Innovation Point in Chatham County, where it plans to start production in 2024. Later the same month, the firm added it had signed agreements with banks to raise at least $4 billion for the EV and battery manufacturing complex.