Highlights battery subscription program and introduces global media
(for the last time) to the VinFast ecosystem
BY December this year, the Vietnamese carmaker VinFast will ship the first 5,000 units of VF8s and VF9s to California where the first six of 30 dealerships were opened recently. With its auto assembly factory, press plant, and battery manufacturing facility now all operating and prototype vehicles completed and continuously tested, VinFast is ready to export to one of the world’s most demanding car markets.
Last May, the company also introduced its innovative Battery Subscription Program. Batteries are the most expensive component of an electric vehicle and after the useful battery life (usually 5 to 8 years, depending on usage and other conditions) the batteries need to be replaced. Under VinFast’s battery subscription program, the cost of the battery is excluded from the vehicle purchase price.
This innovative program makes the VinFast EVs extremely affordable as the subscription applies to both the mid-size VF8 crossover and the full size VF9 SUV.
Under the program, customers will pay a monthly subscription fee of as little as $169 for battery use. VinFast actually invests in the EV ownership of the customer by bearing the responsibility for battery repairs, maintenance, and replacement costs which in turn provide a worry-free experience for the life of the vehicle.
Battery plant
Last year, Vingroup also officially announced the start of construction of the VinES Battery Manufacturing Factory. During the VinGroup Elite Media Tour last September 24, participants were made to tour the sprawling VinFast car assembly facility in Hai Phong, Vietnam.
The EV battery development center and factory occupied its own 3,000-square-foot building in the facility and has, as of this writing, already begun producing batteries. They are also in the midst of developing new types of battery cells that will be lighter and use less space.
The VinES plant will supply the power sources for VinFast vehicles and is expected to also sell to external customers. The plant is part of the brand’s overall strategy and as of this moment, affirms its strategy of quickly becoming a global smart electric vehicle brand.
On its fourth run over a span of a year, the VinGroup Elite Media Tour, would be the last such event for VinFast, because the next tours the company will conduct will all be in North America. This may possibly include test drives to plant tours all in the mainland United States.
The EV maker recently broke ground at its North Carolina assembly plant and opened in select locations stores in California where it will start distributing its all-electric vehicles by the end of this year into 2023.
Starting from its participation in the Los Angeles Motor Show, moving on to CES 2022, VinFast showcased its full EV line-up for both the US and European markets. VinFast calls this their “Future of Mobility” which it highlighted in the media tour of both the EV assembly line and the battery plant at the humungous Hai Phong factory.
The facility opened in September 2017 on a 35-hectare property inside an industrial park located on Cat Hai Island. The all-automated factory that features over a thousand robots for various assembly and paint functions also has a full press shop, several assembly lines that can put together cars even of various models in one line, and its own powerplant and battery shop all within the facility. This one feature alone makes VinFast extremely advantageous in development and production.
It can be recalled that in CES 2022, VinFast advanced its message by advocating for a clean future of mobility with the concept of ‘Destination: Future’.
The message represents an ongoing journey that began at the 2021 LA Auto Show in November. The cars that the company will produce for the global market–the VF8 and VF9 were revealed to the media present at the VinFast tour. Penned by world-famous Pininfarina and Torino Design the lineup presented to the press was impressive. The short test drive that followed proved the capabilities of the young automaker start-up.
VinFast’s smart EVs presented were all equipped with advanced driver-assistance systems, featuring Lane Assist, Collision Warning, Driver Monitoring, Fully Automated Parking, Summon Vehicle and more. Additionally, the cars integrate Smart Services, including in-car control features such as Voice Assistant, Virtual Assistant and E-Commerce Services, among others. Everything is controllable by a large infotainment screen.
In addition, Vingroup will introduce advanced technologies utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), big data and machine learning platforms developed by the group’s member companies such as VinAI, VinBigData, VinBrain and Vantix.
“VinFast has moved quickly forward because we are aiming for the best for our customers and more so for our planet. The transition to EVs will make a more sustainable future us all. This is why we are so focused on our efforts and our strategies. Our approach may be unconventional to some, but we think quickly and can respond quickly because we are an agile company,” Le Thi Thu Thuy is currently the Vice Chairwoman of Vingroup and Global CEO of VinFast told the media emphasizing that her company’s bold vision is only matched by the growing market demand for electrified vehicles.
