VinFast Electric Cars: Taking Orders and Three New Concepts
It would seem that only in mid-November, VinFast presented its new electric vehicles at the Los Angeles Auto Show, but the Vietnamese are back again at CES 2022 in Las Vegas with big news. Firstly, the company changed its CEO again. The German Michael Loscheller, who moved to VinFast from Opel, held this position for only six months. In December, he hurriedly left VinFast without explanation, and Le Thi Thu Thuy, a Vietnamese who had worked at VinGroup's parent company since 2008, was appointed the new CEO.
Secondly, at the very end of December, the construction of a separate plant for the production of traction batteries began in Vietnam. And at a presentation in Las Vegas, Le Thi Thu Tui announced that by the end of 2022, VinFast will switch completely to the production of electric vehicles. This means that the current Fadil hatchback (licensed Opel Karl), Lux A2.0 sedan and Lux SA2.0 crossover (restyled BMW 5 Series and X5) will be discontinued.
Thirdly, coinciding with CES 2022, the start of accepting orders for electric vehicles already presented in the fall, which for some reason changed the indices again (although now they have become simpler and more understandable), just in time. The mid-size crossover VinFast VF e35 with a length of 4750 mm is now called VinFast VF8. It is equipped with two engines with a total power of 408 hp, passport mileage on a single charge reaches 510 km, and the declared price in the US is 41 thousand dollars (or 36,133 euros in Europe).
A three-row VinFast VF9 SUV (formerly VF e36) with a length of 5118 mm with the same electric motors and a passport range of 680 mm in America costs 56 thousand dollars (49,280 euros in Europe). However, these prices are indicated not only without taxes, but also without a subscription to electronic assistants and (above all) the rental of a traction battery. How much he will have to pay for these services is not yet clear. At the same time, VinFast promises to replace the battery with a new one when its actual capacity drops to 70% of its original capacity. The company is taking orders for the vehicles with a $200 (or €150) deposit, and deliveries are expected to begin by the end of this year.
And fourthly, VinFast brought three concept cars to the show in Las Vegas at once. These are the future SUV models VF5, VF6 and VF7. They do not yet have full-fledged salons, and the characteristics have not been announced. It is only clear that the whole trinity was created on a single modular platform and the Italian studios Pininfarina and Torino Design would be engaged in their design.
Vehicles vary in size, and when production begins in 2023, VinFast will have a full range of electric SUVs from Class A to E. And they will all have Level 2 Autopilot (aka Advanced Cruise Control) from the start with the prospect of moving to Level 3. and even to the fourth level. Unless, of course, the Vietnamese quickly change their plans.
