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Those who claimed that VinFast would never amount to anything seem to have been mistaken. They’re starting to pop up on American roads.
VinFast: Vietnamese, Pininfarina-Designed Luxury Cars
- Thread starter Turbo
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- 2,904
- Columbus, Ohio
Turns out they're building a manufacturing plant in North Carolina and want it up and running by 2024, which is ambitious to be sure. I guess they're thinking that if they can successfully take a piece of Tesla's action then the European market will be much easier to crack, and given how notoriously difficult it is to get established in the NA auto market they might be right on that.
I wouldn't be surprised if that particular one was imported by Ford or GM for "research" (i.e. let's see if there's anything worth copying and put it in our vehicles first before they show up).
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Joey D
Premium
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It almost certainly was. It has an "M plate" which is for manufacturer-owned vehicles, and that picture looks like it was taken in Detroit sometime between now and about three weeks ago.
- 3,727
- Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
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They have a showroom at a shopping center nearby (a shopping center that also has a Tesla and Polestar showroom, to give you an idea) but I still didn't think they would amount to anything other than vaporware. Good job they got them out on the streets. I suspect electric vehicles are considerably easier to bring to market than an ICE powered car. I think they are going to have a tough time though.
Keef
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I really wish these companesi would think harder before settling on some ridiculous Amazon all-caps trademark spam name. Vinfast? What does that even mean? They heard the term VIN number and that people like fast cars and just smashed them together and trademarked it? Get outta here.
I'm all for Vietnam being on the come-up but it would be less weird if they named the brand Tuk Tuk.
I'm all for Vietnam being on the come-up but it would be less weird if they named the brand Tuk Tuk.
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VinFast VF6 and VF7 compact CUVs unveiled for the US market at the LA auto show, orders to open subsequently.
www.caranddriver.com
2024 VinFast VF6 and VF7 Are Two More Electric SUVs Coming to America
Joining the already revealed VF8 and VF9 EVs, the subcompact VF6 and the compact VF7 are set to start production near the end of 2023.
- 3,727
- Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
Vinfast has officially exported the first 999 units of the 402hp VF8 premium CUV to the United States, with 65,000 global orders in total.
www.carscoops.com
VinFast Has Just Exported The First 999 VF 8s To The United States | Carscoops
VinFast has more than 65,000 orders for the VF 8 and VF 9
www.carscoops.com
- 2,904
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I know this is a weird thing to point out among everything else, but...Vinfast has officially exported the first 999 units of the 402hp VF8 premium CUV to the United States, with 65,000 global orders in total.
VinFast Has Just Exported The First 999 VF 8s To The United States | Carscoops
VinFast has more than 65,000 orders for the VF 8 and VF 9
...that's a really nice looking cargo ship they've got.
And I guess it could be said that if they've got enough money for their own cargo transports, then the quality of the vehicles should be pretty decent too.
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Keef
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I should clarify that while earlier I said the name is weird, and I still don't like it, as a company I take no issues with VinFast. Vietnam in general and companies like VinFast seem to have an agreeable culture and while they may have an uphill battle in the US like Hyundai and Kid did, I'm pretty sure they'll get along with our business environment just fine. This is in stark contrast to my opinion many Chinese car companies which have built their success upon stealing intellectural property.
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The VinFast VF8 Is Simply Not Ready for America
The electric-car startup brought me to its Vietnam headquarters to drive its first EV meant for the U.S. market. It was the most bizarre experience of my life.
jalopnik.com
Keef
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That's actually more harsh than I expected, honestly.The VinFast VF8 Is Simply Not Ready for America
The electric-car startup brought me to its Vietnam headquarters to drive its first EV meant for the U.S. market. It was the most bizarre experience of my life.
So it seems VinGroup really does run the Vietnamese economy. Weird. I get it, the country is developing, and within that its own laws about governing its economy are also developing. Companies typically move way faster than government which can result in this, a ridiculously massive corporation that has its grubby hands in every sector. The US and Europe have both suffered through those periods and are probably heading toward it yet again with Amazon. South Korea still has companies like Samsung and Hyundai which are relatively massive compared to almost all other developed nations' corporate landscapes.
My point is that when a company gets that big, a little bit of mismanagement can go a long way to destroying an entire economy. In the US or Europe, all our companies (except Tesla I suppose) have massive supplier networks which spread the risk and spread the wealth. VinFast isn't doing that. While they're able to control their process more directly, if they run into a big problem it's not like they can simply switch suppliers to fix it because they are their own supplier. I don't know, the theory is that this will actually be less of a problem but I'm not sure it's the best idea.
- 16,104
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- ScottPuss20
- CheetahsMeow
That article was a wild ride.The VinFast VF8 Is Simply Not Ready for America
The electric-car startup brought me to its Vietnam headquarters to drive its first EV meant for the U.S. market. It was the most bizarre experience of my life.
- 40,766
So basically the company is a keiretsu if the Lost Decade never happened.
Also the person who wrote that article seems to have made as sure as he could to sound like as much of a douche as possible.
Like, bro. You write for what has basically devolved to a glorified Wordpress page. Assuming Jalopnik even pays their writers nowadays, it's literally your job to write about automobiles; and even though the car was mediocre the company seems to have paid for what sounds like a very nice vacation to give you the context to do it.
Also the person who wrote that article seems to have made as sure as he could to sound like as much of a douche as possible.
Like, bro. You write for what has basically devolved to a glorified Wordpress page. Assuming Jalopnik even pays their writers nowadays, it's literally your job to write about automobiles; and even though the car was mediocre the company seems to have paid for what sounds like a very nice vacation to give you the context to do it.
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- 2,904
- Columbus, Ohio
Yeah but the "indignant rage" style of writing has become a trademark of low-effort clickbait sites as of late. And as it's become known that AI generators are plagiarizing them to generate lookalike articles for throwaway content mills over the last year or two, they've been getting even more excessive in tone to try and throw off badly trained algorithms that stick sentences together wholesale.
Although if it turns out that Jalopnik uses AI generators that someone just plugs a few keywords into now, that wouldn't surprise me in the least.
- 3,727
- Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
Reviews are out for the VF8 mid-size CUV and they are, well... disappointing. In short, it's sub-1990s Kia quality- sans a low price tag that would reflect that- and nowhere near competitive enough for the hot-as-ever premium CUV market in the US.
A second review, by Kyle Conner:
"Where to begin: I went into this with a very open mind. As you can see there’s a lot to like about the car when it’s static. Where it really falls apart is when you start driving!
The beeps and bongs are overactive and going non stop (for nothing), there’s no way to disable voice commands which comes up constantly, the suspension is quite firm on small impact areas but softer and livable under normal undulations, there’s NO WAY it has 400hp and the power isn’t consistent, the noise on the highway is nearly unbearable, and non-working lane centering / cruise control + all of the rattles make this a non-starter for a trip. The brake feel, in my short drive, was extremely vague and the overall lack of quality wasn’t reassuring.
VinFast hasn’t released charging speeds for the car yet or really shown any kind of engineering prowess when compared with competitors.
The positives: door thunks are great, the software can be updated (it needs to be updated), styling is nice, I bet you could exceed EPA range easily.
At the end of the day, a ~$55-62k vehicle should be something you’re proud to drive. Obviously you worked hard to drive something premium and this vehicle does not live up to it. A 179mi EPA range shows extreme inefficiency, however I hear a new test will increase it a whopping 20mi. Seriously, if VinFast put half the amount of money into engineering instead of the crazy marketing they’re doing, they may have a desirable product".
A second review, by Kyle Conner:
"Where to begin: I went into this with a very open mind. As you can see there’s a lot to like about the car when it’s static. Where it really falls apart is when you start driving!
The beeps and bongs are overactive and going non stop (for nothing), there’s no way to disable voice commands which comes up constantly, the suspension is quite firm on small impact areas but softer and livable under normal undulations, there’s NO WAY it has 400hp and the power isn’t consistent, the noise on the highway is nearly unbearable, and non-working lane centering / cruise control + all of the rattles make this a non-starter for a trip. The brake feel, in my short drive, was extremely vague and the overall lack of quality wasn’t reassuring.
VinFast hasn’t released charging speeds for the car yet or really shown any kind of engineering prowess when compared with competitors.
The positives: door thunks are great, the software can be updated (it needs to be updated), styling is nice, I bet you could exceed EPA range easily.
At the end of the day, a ~$55-62k vehicle should be something you’re proud to drive. Obviously you worked hard to drive something premium and this vehicle does not live up to it. A 179mi EPA range shows extreme inefficiency, however I hear a new test will increase it a whopping 20mi. Seriously, if VinFast put half the amount of money into engineering instead of the crazy marketing they’re doing, they may have a desirable product".
- 3,727
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VinFast to slash lease prices in the US as much as by 50%, and is expected to deliver its first EV models to the US on March 1st.
www.reuters.com
VinFast slashes lease prices for first U.S. buyers, to deliver first EVs March 1
Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast has cut the lease price for its first model shipped to the United States by more than 50% for its first customers in California, with delivery starting this week, according to the company and emails to customers reviewed by Reuters.
www.reuters.com
- 40,766
2023 VinFast VF8 City Edition First Drive: Just Don't - The Autopian
Emme Hall reviews the Vinfast VF8 City Edition Electric Car. It breaks. Do not buy it.
www.theautopian.com
Sounds like the many many problems with the preproduction models have not been fixed and they are going full steam ahead with it anyway; up to and including the company PR people still doing the "there was no war in Ba Sing Se" every time they are questioned about anything.
But on the other hand this writer reports on this while punching up his words for humorous effect without taking such effort to sound like an entitled douchebag like the Jalopnik guy did.
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That’s why I love the Autopian.
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Everyone Agrees: The VinFast VF8 Is Very, Very Bad
From flaky turn signals to broken ADAS features and a suspension that induces nausea, critics are not impressed with VinFast's first electric SUV for America.
jalopnik.com
- 3,727
- Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
As painful as it is to say this, I can't find a single sensible reason why an American buyer would opt for a VF8 over any of its competitors, especially considering how cutthroat the midsize CUV segment is.
- Poor all-around value.
- Poor performance and driving dynamics.
- Atrocious range.
- Brand has no name recognition/established image and dealer network.
- The name Vinfast, as others mentioned, sounds illegitimate and like a "sketchy weight loss pill or VIN lookup service".
- No one would associate a Vietnamese product with high build quality and sophistication.
- Yeah, it's good looking, but so are other cars in its class and its looks alone aren't going to determine good-enough sales.
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- Alabamamania
Usually, I find the quality of Jalopnik articles to be not much better than most forum scrawling; a real mix of hodge-podge and a ton of incomprehensible in-jokes. But I can understand getting a little annoyed when much of time is whittled away on fluff, your spare time is not valued, and you still have a long trip home on top of the jet lag. It's kind of how I image the less glamourous car press releases going, but they don't get much ink (or, uh...pixels).
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- SpacedustDaddy
It’ll lighten your wallet, that’s for sure.
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I'm honestly kinda shocked they dropped such a high profile clunker like this, especially at a price point most people associate with BMW money. All the problems mentioned are things that likely will be fixed in the next iteration, but given how fast the market is expanding I can't even be sure if they'll get that second look in a couple years. This was something they has to get right the first time, and they very clearly didn't.
- 19,627
- Alabamamania
Decades ago, if you wanted to get into a bigger slice of the overall market, you'd start low with an entry-level vehicle. But with those not selling so well in America and the demand for electric SUVs being "that niche" right now, it's a tough market to get into, because you're selling at a greater price point and trying to emulate what all of the established brands are doing already. But once that section of the landscape is packed with similar vehicles, there's not many reasons to gamble on a newcomer unless there's a real slice of freakin' wowzers to go with it.
It's tough enough to get into this market already, but if you want to electrify your fleet and ask for 80 grand with no dealer network, you'd better offer self-driving as standard since you're effectively tying both hands behind your back. But in all seriousness, I don't doubt that one day a Vietnamese company like this could figure it all out in 15-25 years and this kind of stuff gets forgotten. Every brand makes a few mistakes when they start off and either persevere with improvements or just disappear.
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VinFast VF8 Recalled Because Its Only Display Goes Blank
The VF8's main screen serves in place of traditional gauges, making any failure a safety issue.
www.thedrive.com
I'm honestly mostly surprised that they managed to sucker 111 people into buying one.
- 3,727
- Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
VinFast, which has just gone public in the US, is apparently worth as much as GM and Ford combined, in spite of its cars almost universal negative reception.
The automaker went public through a reverse merger with special purpose acquisition company Black Spade Acquisition Co with a $10 stock price, giving the company an agreed value of $23 billion. However, the stock ended up opening at $22 and continued to rise throughout the day and closed the session at an eye-popping $37.06.
Current rates give VinFast a market value of over $85 billion. To put that into perspective, Ford has a market value of $48 billion while GM has a market value of $46 billion. This is despite VinFast still being years away from delivering a profit and comes despite it having just exported 3,000 vehicles to North America since late last year.
Local investors have likely been encouraged by VinFast’s commitment to the United States. In July, it broke ground on a $2 billion factory in Chatham County, North Carolina that will build the electric VF 7, VF 8, and VF 9. Phase 1 of the plant will have an annual production capacity of 150,000 units.
From Carscoops
I get that EV startups often tend to be grossly overvalued... but $85 billion? Goddamn.
The automaker went public through a reverse merger with special purpose acquisition company Black Spade Acquisition Co with a $10 stock price, giving the company an agreed value of $23 billion. However, the stock ended up opening at $22 and continued to rise throughout the day and closed the session at an eye-popping $37.06.
Current rates give VinFast a market value of over $85 billion. To put that into perspective, Ford has a market value of $48 billion while GM has a market value of $46 billion. This is despite VinFast still being years away from delivering a profit and comes despite it having just exported 3,000 vehicles to North America since late last year.
Local investors have likely been encouraged by VinFast’s commitment to the United States. In July, it broke ground on a $2 billion factory in Chatham County, North Carolina that will build the electric VF 7, VF 8, and VF 9. Phase 1 of the plant will have an annual production capacity of 150,000 units.
From Carscoops
I get that EV startups often tend to be grossly overvalued... but $85 billion? Goddamn.
- 11,805
- Marin County
That's 4x more market cap than Rivian and 6x Lucid - both of which have popular products.
There's still some insanity left in the stock market, that's for sure.
On the other hand, I suspect that Vinfast has the full and unconditional backing of the Vietnamese government so they aren't necessarily susceptible to market pressure to build good cars immediately. They can probably take years of poor sales. Maybe people see them as the next Hyundai / Kia....which still doesn't make sense because Hyundai is only worth 1/3 of Vinfast right now.
There's still some insanity left in the stock market, that's for sure.
On the other hand, I suspect that Vinfast has the full and unconditional backing of the Vietnamese government so they aren't necessarily susceptible to market pressure to build good cars immediately. They can probably take years of poor sales. Maybe people see them as the next Hyundai / Kia....which still doesn't make sense because Hyundai is only worth 1/3 of Vinfast right now.
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