Vietnamese electric vehicle startup Vinfast may finally enter the electric pickup truck market.
Vietnamese electric vehicle startup Vinfast may eventually enter the electric pickup truck market, a top US executive said Thursday.
Winfast, a unit of Vietnam’s Winggroup Group, is focused on starting sales of its electric SUV in the US market later this year, but its vehicle platform allows for expansion into other types of vehicles, said Vinfast US chief service officer Craig Westbrook said. At an Automotive Press Association event in Detroit.
“We want to meet the needs of the market,” he said in response to whether Winfast would ever look to sell electric pickups. “If we decide what the market needs and it fits specifically to our brand, and I think it absolutely can be, yes. It’s something we should consider.”
Ford Motor Co., Rivian and General Motors Co. currently sell electric pickup trucks, and Tesla plans to begin production of its Cybertruck pickups in mid-2023.
Vinfast began manufacturing electric vehicles in Vietnam late last year and aims to transition to all-electric generation by 2023.
Westbrook said the company’s plans to begin vehicle production at a plant in North Carolina are on track for July 2024. Winfast plans to open a US plant manufacturing the VF8 and VF9 SUVs with an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles.
He said Winfast has about 8,000 reservations for its SUVs in the United States, and between 40,000 and 50,000 globally, including in Vietnam, Europe and Canada.
Westbrook said the VF8 and VF9 vehicles will have a starting price of $40,700 and $55,500, respectively, but that doesn’t include the cost of leasing the electric battery. He said a final price on the battery lease hasn’t been set, but will start “in the low $100” in a month.
Westbrook said that from 2024 Winfast will also offer the option to purchase a battery with the vehicle. The company expects consumers to be split equally between leasing and buying.
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