Vietnamese automaker VinFast offers US car shoppers a massive bonus if they drop a small deposit on an upcoming electric SUV. The company says its first EVs will likely be available in the States by the end of 2022. Moreover, it already set up a headquarters in Los Angeles and unveiled its SUVs at the LA Auto Show late last year.
For those unaware of VinFast and its plans, the company aims to be the first Vietnamese carmaker to take up shop in the US. VinFast is transitioninig to an EV-only automaker and has plans to build electric crossovers and battery packs on our shores. The company will also rely on a unique battery leasing model in hopes to bring down vehicle prices and compete with the likes of Tesla and GM.
VinFast has announced that it will offer an early-bird reservation program. If a buyer applies a refundable $200 deposit on VinFast’s upcoming two-row VF 8 SUV by April 5, 2022, the company will provide the reservation-holder with a $3,000 voucher to use toward the vehicle purchase.
At the recent CES show in Las Vegas, VinFast said the VF 8 will start at $41,000 with no battery pack. You have to lease the battery separately. VinFast will also produce and sell the three-row VF 9 with a starting price of $56,000. Customers dropping a refundable $200 deposit on the larger SUV will be eligible for a $5,000 voucher.
According to Automotive News, VinFast CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy shared at CES:
“We hope that our exclusive program VinFirst — ‘Pioneer’s Gratitude to Pioneers’ — will be seen as a meaningful gift for our first customers at the beginning of a new, exciting year.”
Interestingly, VinFast just began selling ICE cars in Vietnam in 2019. However, during recent talks at CES, it said it plans to go fully electric by the end of 2022.