PARIS – Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast plans to open country headquarters in Germany, France and the Netherlands.
Having HQs in Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam will allow VinFast, which -- like rival Tesla -- plans a direct-to-consumer retail network in Europe, to better address the specific requirements of each market, the automaker said Monday.
The company has about 65,000 reservations for its EVs globally. The models due to arrive in the Europe before year-end are the VF 8 and VF 9 SUVs.
In Germany, the VF 8 midsize SUV will start at 45,700 euros and the VF 9 large SUV at 62,250 euros, excluding the cost to lease the battery, which is 120 euros a month for the VF 8 and 150 euros a month for the VF 9. To purchase the VF 8 outright, forgoing the battery-lease option, in Germany the starting price is 61,700 euros for the VF 8 and 82,250 euros for the VF 9.
First flagship store
VinFast said its first flagship store, in Cologne, Germany, will open in November 2022. It will be followed before year-end by stores in Paris, the company's first in France, then Nice; Amsterdam, the brand's primary Dutch location; as well as Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg.
In early 2023, VinFast plans to open locations in Oberhausen, Germany; Marseille, Rennes, Montpellier and Metz in France; and Den Haag and Rotterdam, Netherlands, the company said.
VinFast's said its customers will be supported by a network of mobile service vehicles that provide customers repair and maintenance options.
The mobile service has been deployed in Germany and will expand across Europe in early 2023, the company said.
At the Paris auto show, which started on Monday, VinFast will show four full-electric cars, the VF 6 small crossover, VF 7 compact crossover alongside the VF 8 and VF 9 SUVs.
"VinFast is proud to return to the 2022 Paris show to prove that Vietnam is not only capable of making cars but also making a great leap toward the electrified revolution," Le Thi Thu Thuy said in a release.
"VinFast is proud to return to the 2022 Paris show to prove that Vietnam is not only capable of making cars but also making a great leap toward the electrified revolution," Le Thi Thu Thuy said in a release.
