On June 13, VinFast announced plans to open more than 50 dealerships in Europe. It just didn’t say when it would happen. We only knew 25 of these locations would be in Germany, 20 in France, and 5 in the Netherlands. VinFast announced plans to open dealerships in Europe by the end of 2023 after introducing the VF 8 and VF 9 for the first time in Germany. To put it another way, until 2024.
The VF 8 and VF 9 made their German debut at the IFA Berlin, the country’s oldest technology industry event. The Vietnamese company wanted the visitors to be familiar with the brand. Most people, aside from those who read automotive news, have no idea what VinFast is. If that isn’t a big deal for low-cost products, it can be a difficult challenge for an automaker to overcome.
Aside from clever public relations, the Vietnamese company’s investment in a large dealership network is critical. According to VinFast, the first cities to get stores will be major ones like Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Munich.
The VF 8 will be available at these dealerships in two trim levels: Eco and Plus. VinFast did not specify what equipment is included in these trims, but the VF 9 will have the same. The smaller electric SUV will be available in Europe with two battery pack options: 82 kWh or 87.7 kWh. The VF 9 will also have two battery pack options: 92 kWh or 123 kWh, making it one of the largest battery packs ever seen in a passenger vehicle.
Both electric SUVs will come with a massive warranty to persuade people to trust VinFast’s products: 10 years or 200,000 kilometres (124,274 miles), whichever comes first. VinFast is also offering the battery pack leasing deal that it does in the United States, but we don’t know how much it will cost on the European continent. (georgetownallure.com) We’ll inquire with VinFast about the specifics.
