Vietnamese car maker VinFast will cease production of its fossil-fuel powered lineup and will be the world’s first car maker to go all electric.
VIETNAM’s “national” car company VinFast just made an announcement which will take another 5 to 10 years before other car makers can. They’ve turned off the lines for their internal combustion engine vehicles and will go full-on with their all-electric vehicle lineup, starting with SUV but will very soon cover all 5 vehicle segments.
This bold move makes VinFast probably the world’s first automotive company who started with petrol engines and then made a well-thought-of decision to further decrease its carbon footprint and completely switch to pure electric. What it does is it puts VinFast beside the big guns, Tesla and Nissan and affirms its leadership position global EV shift.
“VinFast envisions a sustainable future for people and the planet through green, clean and safe mobility. This is a future built on intelligent services, outstanding customer experience, and a deep care for the planet and future generations,” Le Thi Thu Thuy, Vingroup Vice Chair and VinFast Global CEO said at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) at Las Vegas
It also picked a most auspicious event to make this announcement–at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2022) where it declared its own VinFast Global EV Day–celebrating its plans for seeding its electrified vehicles by announcing a new development strategy. It used the occasion, better known for its show of innovations, expressed mostly through the latest in, televisions, audio devices, laptops, cameras and other gadgets, to show its merits–as a car and a gadget of convenience and sustainability.
In 1995 tech company Delphi first displayed a car at CES and year after year, car makers saw the event as a showcase for futuristic innovations. In past technologies like tire monitoring systems, anto-collision avoidance, automated cruise control, front and side sensors, full keyless entry, intrusion sensors, GPS and tracking, anti-carjacking technology, cell phone integration, and navigation were the new technologies Today, AI, facial recognition and biometrics are the reasons why car companies want to be at CES.
Ditto for VinFast. When it revealed its complete electric vehicle lineup, it also told the world that it is ready for consumers to grab an affordable, feature packed car. To prove this the company launched a global “Now Accepting” reservations campaign for the SUV VF 8 and VF 9 with a special gratitude program for pioneer customers. In Vietnam deliveries of the first vehicles to their first owners was already done earlier.
Following its US debut at the 2021 LA Auto Show, VinFast is taking important steps towards a sustainable future of mobility instead of bettering the ICE engine, which was part of this starting vision, the company will focus research and development efforts on all-electric powertrains for their vehicles.
Along with the commitment to becoming an all-electric carmaker, VinFast officially launched a range of fully-electric vehicles: three models debuted in the A-B-C segments, VF 5 (segment A), VF 6 (segment B) and VF 7 (segment C); and two models VF e35 and VF e36 in the D and E segments (introduced at the 2021 LA Auto Show) now renamed as VF 8 and VF 9. The removal of the “e” (electric) prefix in the names affirms the company’s consistent all-electric orientation.
All five electric vehicles, with impressive and modern exteriors, were designed by world-renowned Italian design firms, Pininfarina and Torino Design.
The VF 8 and VF 9 models will be equipped with level 2+ Autonomous Driving features for the Eco and Plus versions and levels 3 – 4 for Premium versions. These models will also have smart features, including Smart Home, Mobile Office, In-car Shopping, In-car Entertainment, and many other convenient, advanced features that create an exhilarating experience for every journey and everyday life.
“VinFast is committed to innovative vehicle design, quality, and technology, along with excellent customer service. We even aspire to greater achievements – to be one of the leading electric vehicle manufacturers in the world while inspiring our customers to be boundless together and join hands in the electric vehicle revolution, creating a sustainable future for all,” Thuy concluded.
At VinFast Global EV Day, the company also officially announced retail pricing and a groundbreaking reservation campaign for the VF 8 and VF 9 in the US, Europe and Vietnam.
The initial price for the VF 8 is 41,000 USD in the US; starting from 36,133 EUR in Europe and 961 million VND in Vietnam, while the VF 9 will initially be priced at 56,000 USD (US); 49,280 EUR (Europe) and 1.312 billion VND (Vietnam). Each VinFast’s EV comes with a warranty of 10 years or the first 200,000km (whichever comes first).
VinFast is the first electric car company to apply blockchain technology to receive orders and confirm ownership. There will be many other future incentives for applicable customers in the US to join the VinFirst program. All early reservations can be refunded, gifted or transferred from April 6, 2022.
As well as sharing the pricing policy, VinFast announced an innovative battery lease program that will offer customers two subscription plans: “Flexible” (a minimum subscription fee for 300miles/500km per month, extra costs from the 301st mile/501st km) and “Fixed” (unlimited range). The total monthly cost for driving VinFast EVs is approximately equal to gasoline costs in each market. Furthermore, VinFast will cover all expenses on battery maintenance and will replace the owner’s used batteries for free when charging and discharging capacity falls below 70 percent. – with Raymond Tribdino
