The VinFast VF8 is a bad car, and with a base price of nearly $50,000, you can’t even make the argument that it doesn’t need to be fancy because it’s cheap. Despite that (and all the negative reviews that came from the press launch), VinFast decided to start selling its cars in the U.S. Or at least attempt to sell them. And as Electrek reports, it has big plans for 2024 that involve basically everything except making a better car.
First of all, there’s a new chief executive officer. Pham Nhat Vuong is the fourth CEO since VinFast was formed, and the current CEO, Thi Thu Thuy, will now head up the board of directors. Surely, that will completely turn things around.
Additionally, VinFast is also getting into the dealership game. It already opened one dealership late last year and partnering with several new dealerships this year. You know, because the real reason people haven’t been buying the VF8 is because there weren’t any dealerships they could go to. People sure do love car dealers, after all.
“This is an important step affirming VinFast’s commitment to expanding its retail sales network and shortening the time to deliver our products to market,” Tran Mai Hoa, deputy CEO of sales and marketing said in a statement. “Collaboration with dealers allows VinFast to quickly bring US customers high-quality electric vehicles, good price and excellent aftersales policies, further promoting our mission of a sustainable future for all.”
VinFast is also going all-in on U.S. manufacturing, building a $4 billion factory in North Carolina. When it’s finished in 2025, it will reportedly be capable of producing 150,000 vehicles per year. You’d think that with such a high price tag, it would be higher, but then again, it’s hard to believe that VinFast will be able to convince even 15,000 people to buy its cars, so it’s not like it really matters.
