Vietnamese VinFast Wants To Sell EVs In The US Next Year

• We first heard of VinFast two years ago ahead of the Paris auto show.

• This announcement comes with a few details on their new President SUV.

• Their vehicles are designed by Pininfarina.

Back in September of 2018, VinFast introduced the LUX A2.0 sedan and the LUX SA2.0 SUV. Undeniably attractive, being penned by fabled Pininfarina, the SUV will henceforth carry the President moniker and like its name, this vehicle will be grand.

Only 500 will be assembled and all will be reserved for the Vietnamese market. The bold SUV will be powered a GM-sourced 6.2-litre V8 good for 420 horsepower and 460 lb.-ft. of torque. It will be mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission and AWD. The first 100 will be priced from 3.8 billion VND (or about $164,000 US) while the other 400 will go for 4.6 billion VND or $198,000.

While this news doesn’t affect our market, according to Motor1.com, VinFast is planning to enter the US as early as next year with a currently under development electric vehicle. Pham Nhat Vuong, owner of Vingroup, understands the challenge this poses: “Our biggest challenge is that Vietnamese products do not have an international brand. To many international friends, Vietnam is still a poor, backward country. We will have to find a way to market and prove our products represent a dynamic and developing Vietnam that has reached the highest standards of the world,”

In order to achieve his lofty goals, Vuong is investing $2 billion of his personal fortune to see it through.