Vietnam’s electric vehicle maker VinFast has shipped its first batch of 999 cars to the United States, capping a 5-year bid to develop an auto production hub in the Southeast Asian country for markets in North America and Europe. The first cars are expected to be handed over to American customers by the end of December 2022, the company said.
Related: Vietnam’s VinFast has Set its Sights on the US market
VinFast Chief Executive Le Thi Thu Thuy said some of the VF8 electric SUVs being shipped would be sent to U.S. car subscription service Autonomy but the majority would go to retail buyers who have ordered the car. Thuy said VinFast is likely to be able to ship a second batch of cars to the United States around January 2023.
According to VinFast, Autonomy had ordered 2,500 electric vehicles, its largest corporate order to date. VinFast has said it has almost 65,000 orders globally in total and expects to sell 750,000 EVs annually by 2026.
Related: VinFast Wins “The Rising Star” Award at 2022 Paris Motor Show
VinFast officials said the number 999 for the vehicles shipped in the first batch had been chosen because it is considered a lucky number in Vietnam. “There is no luckier number than 999,” Thuy said.
VinFast is in the process of building an electric vehicle plant in North Carolina that is awaiting final regulatory approval from local officials. Thuy said the company is expected to start production at the North Carolina factory from July 2024 and that electric vehicles built there would qualify for incentives under the terms of the Inflation Reduction Act signed by U.S. President Joe Biden.
Source: Reuters
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