VinFast CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy announced that the Vietnamese EV manufacturer will export 900 standard VF 8 SUVs to California and 900 to Canada in April. In addition, the company plans to ship 700 standard VF 8s to Europe in mid-June. VinFast expects to begin delivering the standard VF 8 to US customers in early May and Canadian customers in early June. The company previously delivered 999 VF 8 City Editions, which have a shorter driving range than the upcoming SUVs, to California last year. VinFast's second North America delivery, and first to Canada, is a part of the automaker's effort to establish a foothold in fiercely competitive overseas markets.
VinFast's VF 8 SUV has an estimated driving range of 293 miles by WLTP standards and is priced at $49,000 in the US and C$57,500 in Canada, according to Thuy. The company's City Edition electric cars, which have a driving range of up to 207 miles, were offered at a lease price starting at $399 per month for 24 months in March.
VinFast filed for an IPO with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in December and is considering it as soon as the second quarter of this year. The company's production at its planned North Carolina facility is now expected to begin in 2025, according to its latest filing. VinFast is a part of Vingroup JSC, owned by billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong, who has a net worth of around $4.1 billion. The company will deliver its first VF 9 SUV models to Vietnamese customers on March 27.