VinFast VF8 (electric car)

2023: Recall of entire batch due to defective software

On May 25, 2023, the Vietnamese automotive company VinFast announced the recall of the entire first batch of electric VF8 crossovers intended for the American market. The problem is related to on-board software.

The defect manifests itself in the fact that the screen of the multimedia head device (MHU) can suddenly go out while driving or in the parking lot. As a result, important information about the state of the vehicle ceases to be displayed, which may include, for example, data on the current speed. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement USA that the failure raises the risk of a traffic accident. However, no accidents or other incidents related to the problem have been registered.

VinFast announced the recall of the entire first batch VF8

VinFast has already released an on-board software update that helps fix a failure if one occurs. This update tracks possible spontaneous disables of the display in the machine and instantly restarts the code fragment responsible for the operation of the screen. The whole process is said to take only 200ms, so the motorist won't even notice it.

The recall affects all 999 VinFast VF8 electric vehicles that were delivered in the United States in November 2022. Of these machines, only 264 were delivered to end customers - 111 are in the hands of private owners, and another 153 are operated by corporate clients.

Although VinFast is not aware of any incidents related to the issue, the company will initiate a recall program for precautionary reasons. The recall applies to 999 VF 8 City Edition cars produced from July 27 to November 25, 2022. Owners will be notified of the defect and invited to the authorized VinFast service center for a free wireless software update, the automaker said in a notice.[1]

2022: Start of production of electric vehicles abroad

On September 10, 2022, electric car manufacturer VinFast, part of Vietnam's largest Vingroup group of companies, announced the start of deliveries of cars. At first they will be sold in Vietnam, and a little later - abroad.

VinFast plans to send about 5 thousand electric cars to customers in the United States, Canada and Europe in early November 2022, and global deliveries are scheduled for early 2023.

VF8

The company delivered its first international model, the VF8 sports SUV, to Vietnamese customers in early September 2022 at its plant in the northern port city of Haiphong. Prices for a mid-size SUV start at $57,000 for those with a battery and $42,000 for those with a monthly battery subscription, the automaker said on its official website.

VinFast, which in July 2022 announced that it had signed agreements with banks to raise at least $4 billion to expand in the United States, according to the company, booked about 73,000 seats for its electric vehicles around the world. The automaker said the company received about $1.2 billion in incentives for its planned electric vehicle plant in North Carolina, where it intends to begin production in 2024.

Vingroup has stopped selling petrol-powered cars after customers ordered the latest batch of Lux and Fadil models in 2022. Until August 2022, the Vietnamese brand will focus on the production of fuel cars to satisfy previous orders, and since September has switched to the production of fully electric cars.

The automaker, backed by Vietnam's richest man Pham Nhat Vyong, opened six auto dealerships in California on July 14, 2022, in a bid to enter the Tesla-dominated U.S. market. Eventually, there are plans to open more than 30 new centers that will sell cars directly to consumers in North America.^[2]

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