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- VinFast, a Vietnamese startup that aims to start sales of its electric crossovers in the United States this year, will open its first showrooms next week.
- Showrooms will be in Santa Monica, San Diego, San Mateo, Corte Madera, Commerce and Berkeley, Calif., with 24 more stores expected to open in the state by the end of 2022.
- VinFast’s lineup includes the two-row VF8 and three-row VF9, both of which have a twin-engine configuration and claimed ranges between 248 and 369 miles.
VinFast, a Vietnamese automaker founded in 2017, has been preparing to enter the US auto market for some time. In 2021, after unveiling a pair of electric SUVs, VinFast declared its intention to bring its electric vehicles to the United States in March 2022. Although the young company missed this goal, VinFast still claims that it will start sales by the end of 2022. Now the company is gearing up to take a big step towards that goal. As first reported in automotive news, VinFast will open its first six US showrooms in California next week, with plans for 30 locations statewide by the end of the year.
Stores will open July 14 in Santa Monica, San Diego, San Mateo, Corte Madera, Commerce and Berkeley. This plan was confirmed at Car and driver by a VinFast spokesperson on Friday. VinFast set up its US headquarters in Los Angeles in 2021 and showed off its two-row VF8 crossover in the Golden State in a bid to drum up hype before sales begin.
VinFast plans to launch two EVs in its foray into the US market – the aforementioned VF8 and a larger three-row VF9. The former will have a two-motor powertrain with either 348 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque, or 402 ponies and 457 lb-ft. VinFast claims acceleration times of 5.8 seconds and 5.3 seconds to 60 mph, respectively, and is between 248 and 290 miles on Europe’s most optimistic WLTP test cycle. The VF9 comes exclusively with the twin-motor setup with 402hp and a claimed sprint of 6.3 seconds at 60mph. The range of the VF9 is estimated between 262 and 369 miles on the WLTP cycle.
The VF8 will start at $40,700 and the VF9 at $55,500, but those prices won’t include the battery, which will be leased from VinFast. There will be a cheaper monthly plan at $35 for the VF8 and $44 for the VF9, with a limit of 310 driving miles per month, or an unlimited lease at $110 and $160 per month. VinFast also indicates that an option to purchase the battery will be offered in the future.
In addition to aiming to sell its electric SUVs in the United States, VinFast also plans to assemble cars here as well. Earlier this year, the automaker announced plans to invest $2 billion in a plant in Chatham County, North Carolina. Production is expected to start in July 2024, with a build capacity of 150,000 units per year.
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