Vietnamese carmaker VinFast unveiled its all-electric sport utility vehicles on Saturday during a spectacular event.
The first batch of electric SUVs built for local consumers was applauded by the crowd that had come for the event. However, the next batch will start being delivered to customers in the United States as early as December as VinFast is focusing on the global market, according to Yahoo News.
Le Thi Thu Thuy, VinFast Chief Executive, stated:
“These first vehicles will be delivered to our Vietnamese customers. After that, the next batch of 5,000 vehicles will be produced for the U.S. and North American market. We will start producing that batch next week. Then we will start producing for the EU market.”
Notably, the 2019 Vietnamese startup VinFast is anticipating that its VF8 and VF9 models can contend with startups and even with established automakers in the United States.
Impressively, one customer picking up the keys to a VF8 reports that his car was ready earlier than expected.
“The speed of delivery surprised me. My estimate was that I would be among the first orders that were being fulfilled sometime in November. When VinFast informed me that I can have my car in September, I was quite surprised by their development and production speed. This is good news for both EV enthusiasts and VinFast car owners.” He shared.
The starting prices for the VF8 and VF9 in the United States are over $42,000 and $57,500, respectively. It must be noted that these amounts exclude the leasing and battery cost. Interestingly, battery-related alternatives will also be accessible, according to the company.
Currently, VinFast has been able to secure 65,000 reservations worldwide and projects to sell 750,000 electric vehiclesannually by 2026. As if that is not enough, a plant in North Carolina with a preliminary capacity of 150,000 EVs annually is also set to be constructed by the company.