VinFast, Vietnam’s electric vehicle manufacturer, has announced that it will be delaying the delivery of its first batch of cars to the US from December to January due to the holiday season in the country.
The company stated that it is currently signing sales contracts with customers and will be delivering the VF8 models to them in January according to their needs.
The VF8 and VF9 electric vehicles made their debut at the LA Auto Show in 2021, and VinFast has committed to ending the production of gas-powered models in the near future. The company delivered its first locally produced EV in Vietnam in December 2021. In November, it announced that it would need to delay the rollout of its EVs in Europe and Canada until early 2023 due to the global shortage of semiconductors.
Previously, VinFast reported receiving 24,000 orders worldwide within 48 hours of opening reservations, which could potentially allow Vietnam to become a major producer of fully electric vehicles. The automaker plans to ship around 5,000 EVs to the US, Canada, and Europe in its next batch.
For the fleet consumers, VinFast will supply 2,500 electric cars to the US-based car subscription service Autonomy. This is VinFast’s most significant corporate order to date and as part of plans to expand the market.
VinFast recently introduced the VF6 and VF7 electric models, with the goal of becoming the EV manufacturer for all segments of the market, including B, C, D, and E auto segments. The company already has a US headquarters in Los Angeles and an R&D center in San Francisco and plans to begin production in the US in July 2024.
VinFast’s investment plans total around $6 billion, and the factory in the US is the first phase of the company’s extensive plans for the country. The factory will have the capacity to produce 150,000 electric cars annually, and will eventually also be equipped to manufacture electric buses and batteries.
