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☆ This Vietnamese automaker is worth more than Ford and GM. But it hasn’t sold many cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Vietnamese electric vehicle company Vinfast is already more valuable than Ford (F) and GM (GM), based on its stock price, despite just entering the US market. For one thing, when critics got the chance to drive the company’s first US-bound product, the VF8 electric SUV, the resulting reviews weren’t what any automaker would hope for. The VF-8 electric vehicle from VinFast, a Vietnamese automaker producing electric cars and SUVs, is displayed at their showroom in Santa Monica, California, on September 13, 2022. In 2022, VinFast sold 24,000 cars globally. By comparison, Volkswagen Group sold 8.3 million vehicles in 2022 and Ford sold 4.2 million.

Persons: ”, Miguel Cortina, MotorTrend, Arstecnica, ” VinFast, Apu Gomes, Cortina, VinFast, VinGroup, Vinhomes Organizations: CNN, Ford, GM, Getty, Paris, South, Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen Group, VinGroup Locations: Santa Monica , California, AFP, California, Vietnam, VinUni

☆ Vietnam’s Tesla charges itself up for a big fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

VinFast (VFS.O) shares leapt 270% on Tuesday following the group’s $27 billion merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). It catapults the enterprise’s value to $90 billion, a grand outcome only possible because Vuong and related entities still own 99% of the Tesla (TSLA.O) wannabe. The pop values the unprofitable Vietnamese company at 142 times its sales in 2022, some 16 times Tesla’s multiple. VinFast has pushed back plans to operate its $4 billion plant in North Carolina by a year to 2025. Ultimately, VinFast is heavily reliant on Vuong who is betting big on electric vehicles.

Persons: Mike Blake, Pham Nhat Vuong, Rivian, VinFast, topline, David Mansfield, Reuters Breakingviews, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Los Angeles Auto, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Tesla, Elon Musk’s, P Global Mobility, Nasdaq, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, North Carolina, Vingroup

☆ VinFast stock skyrockets 270% on Nasdaq, EV maker worth more than Ford after going public
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

That’s more than Volkswagen (VLKAF) or Ford (F), which are valued at 63.9 billion euros ($69.7 billion) and $48 billion, respectively, according to Refinitiv. VinFast is still 99% owned by Vietnam’s richest man, Pham Nhat Vuong, through shares held by his other company Vingroup and other business entities, according to a regulatory filing. VinFast was founded in 2017 as a subsidiary of Vingroup, one of Vietnam’s largest conglomerates. Its performance Tuesday makes VinFast the largest US-listed Vietnamese company by market cap, it said. VinFast electric vehicles parked in Los Angeles on March 1 Lisa Baertlein/ReutersSeveral headlines have been particularly blunt, with one by industry outlet Road & Track calling the vehicle “simply unacceptable.” Another by MotorTrend read: “Return to sender.”Other reviews were more forgiving.

Persons: Pham Nhat Vuong, VinFast, Vuong, Thuy Le, Lisa Baertlein, MotorTrend, ”, Le, — Peter Valdes, Dapena Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Vietnam’s, Volkswagen, Ford, Spade, Nasdaq, Bloomberg, Reuters Locations: Hong Kong, New York, Vingroup, Vietnam, North America, United States, Los Angeles, North Carolina, Europe

☆ Vietnamese EV maker VinFast is now worth more than Ford and GM after Nasdaq debut
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

On Tuesday, the Vietnamese electric vehicle maker listed on Nasdaq following the completion of its merger with the U.S.-listed special purpose acquisition company Black Spade Acquisition. Following the market debut, VinFast is now currently worth $85 billion, according to CNBC calculations. The SPAC merger previously valued VinFast at approximately $23 billion, according to a June filing with U.S. securities regulator. Meanwhile, BMW and Volkswagen are both worth around $69 billion, according to Refinitiv data, with Ford at $48 billion and GM at $46 billion. VinFast is the automaking unit of Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup and was founded in 2017.

Persons: Black Spade, VinFast, Tesla, BYD Organizations: Ford, GM, BMW, Volkswagen, Nasdaq, U.S, Spade, CNBC

A few hours before its Nasdaq debut, VinFast more than doubled its value in premarket trading involving less than 4% of its shares. Nikola now commands a market value of $1.4 billion, versus $13.9 billion before listing while Lucid has a current market value of $15.5 billion, versus $24 billion during its 2021 SPAC deal. It is still unclear how many of the company shares will trade on Tuesday and at what price. VinFast's founder, Vietnam's richest man Pham Nhat Vuong, pledged $2.5 billion in April to bolster the EV maker, including $1 billion from his personal fortune. He is the beneficial owner of 99% of the ordinary shares of the EV maker after the merger.

Persons: Mike Blake, Black Spade, Nikola Corp, Nikola, Lucid, Rivian, Pham Nhat Vuong, VinFast, Phuong Nguyen, Yantoultra, Jaiveer Singh, Francesco Guarascio Organizations: Los Angeles Auto, REUTERS, Nasdaq, Nikola, Tesla Inc, Rivian Automotive Inc, VinFast, P Global Mobility, Investors, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, HANOI, Dealogic, North Carolina, Vietnam, United States

☆ Vietnamese EV maker VinFast gets go ahead for Nasdaq SPAC listing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Shareholders of Hong Kong-based Black Spade Acquisition (BSAQ.A), a blank-check company, voted on Thursday to approve the merger with VinFast. VinFast, in a joint statement with Black Spade, said it would list on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol VFS "on or around August 15". It leaves VinFast's existing shareholders, including parent company Vingroup and Vuong, Vietnam's richest man, with 99% of shares in the company. "The voting results today are a vote of confidence in VinFast from Black Spade shareholders," VinFast's global head Thuy Le said in the statement. Black Spade was founded by the private investment arm of Lawrence Ho, son of the late gambling mogul Stanley Ho.

Persons: Mike Blake, VinFast, Black Spade, Pham Nhat Vuong, Thuy Le, Nikola Corp, EVs, VinFast's, Vuong, Lawrence Ho, Stanley Ho, Phuong Nguyen, Kirsten Donovan, Susan Fenton Organizations: Los Angeles Auto, REUTERS, U.S, Nasdaq, of Hong, VinFast, Black, Black Spade, Faraday, Nikola, Vingroup, Tesla, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, HANOI, of Hong Kong, VinFast, North Carolina, Black, United States, Haiphong, Vietnam

☆ Vietnam EV maker VinFast to list in the U.S. in August after regulator nod
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, July 28 (Reuters) - Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast said on Friday it is planning to list in the United States next month via a blank-cheque company after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) gave the go ahead to its proposed business combination. VinFast, a unit of Vietnam's biggest conglomerate Vingroup (VIC.HM), announced in May it would go public through a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Black Spade Acquisition Co (BSAQ.A). VinFast and Black Spade aim to complete the merger by August, they said in a joint statement. "The declaration of the SEC effectiveness is a significant step towards the successful completion of the business combination between Black Spade and VinFast," Dennis Tam, Chairman and Co-CEO of Black Spade Acquisition Co said. Black Spade is set to hold an extraordinary shareholder meeting to approve the proposed business combination with VinFast, the joint statement said.

Persons: VinFast, Black Spade, Dennis Tam, Phuong Nguyen, Louise Heavens Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Spade, Thomson Locations: HANOI, United States

☆ Vietnam EV maker VinFast to start construction of US factory next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, July 19 (Reuters) - Vietnamese automaker VinFast said on Wednesday it would start construction of a $4 billion electric vehicle factory in North Carolina next week as part of its push to expand in the United States market. The unit of Vietnam's largest conglomerate Vingroup (VIC.HM), which began operations in 2019, announced plans for the U.S. factory last year. It is targeting the start of production in 2025, a year later than its initial plan. "When it begins operations, the factory will be VinFast's primary supplier of electric vehicles to the North American market," said Thuy Le, head of VinFast Auto. The project's first phase includes a $2 billion investment in a factory capable of producing 150,000 vehicles a year.

Persons: VinFast, Thuy Le, Tesla, China's, Vinfast, Phuong Nguyen, Jamie Freed Organizations: U.S, North, VinFast Auto, Spade, Thomson Locations: HANOI, North Carolina, United States, North American, California

☆ Vietnam EV maker Vinfast expects to break even by end-2024 - founder
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, May 17 (Reuters) - Vietnam's electric automaker VinFast expects to break even by the end of 2024, its founder said on Wednesday. Vinfast will also launch an EV-pickup truck and a city or "mini car" as future models, Pham Nhat Vuong, chairman of conglomerate Vingroup (VIC.HM) and founder of its auto unit VinFast, told investors at the company's annual general meeting. VinFast said earlier this month that it would list in the United States via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Black Spade Acquisition Co (BSAQ.N). VinFast, which is looking to break into the U.S. and European markets for electric cars, had earlier received funding pleges of $2.5 billion from Vingroup, Vietnam's largest conglomerate, and its founder, Vuong, Vietnam's first billionaire. Reporting by Phuong Nguyen in Hanoi and Kevin Krolicki in Singapore; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Vietnam EV maker VinFast sees sales boom, path to breakeven
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Vuong projected sales of between 40,000 and 50,000 cars this year, up from EV sales of about 7,400 in 2022 when the company's only market was Vietnam. In addition, Vuong said VinFast planned to add two other models to its lineup: an electric pickup truck and a battery-powered city or "mini car." VinFast, which began operations in 2019, has a plant in Vietnam and plans for a second plant to open in North Carolina in 2025. An electric pickup truck would face competition from Rivian Automotive Inc (RIVN.O), Ford Motor Co's (F.N) F-150 Lightning and other models. The entry-level, small EV would face competition from Chinese-made electric vehicles, including from BYD.

☆ Vietnam’s Tesla debuts with wrong kind of power
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Vietnam’s richest man is taking his electric-vehicle company, VinFast, public at a punchy valuation through a merger with casino mogul Lawrence Ho’s special-purpose acquisition company. The tie-up with Black Spade Acquisition Co (BSAQ.N) means VinFast doesn’t have to wait for the market for initial public offerings to improve to make its debut. The SPAC deal values VinFast at 42 times its sales in 2022, a stunning seven times Tesla’s (TSLA.O) multiple and more than twice the multiple of Lucid (LCID.O). But despite the big eye-catching U.S. debut, existing investors will own 99% of the company after the deal. The merger values the Tesla challenger’s equity at $23 billion, not including the $169 million of Black Spade’s cash, and its enterprise including debt at about $27 billion.

☆ Vietnam EV maker VinFast to list in U.S. via a SPAC
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Vietnamese electric automaker VinFast said on Friday it will list in the United States via a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Black Spade Acquisition Co . The company has said it has almost 55,000 orders globally and is able to churn out 300,000 EVs per year. Black Spade Acquisition is a Hong Kong-based SPAC which listed on the NYSE in July 2021 with a plan to merge, within two years, with a company ideally in the entertainment business, according to its website. It was founded by Black Spade Capital Limited, the private investment arm of Lawrence Ho, the head of Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd, which operates casinos in Macau and the Philippines, according to the company's website and Refinitiv. "The partnership with Black Spade and listing of VinFast in the U.S. represents the perfect capital raising avenue for our future global ambitions," Thuy Le, VinFast's global chief executive, said.

☆ Vietnam EV maker VinFast gets fresh funding pledges of $2.5 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, April 26 (Reuters) - Vietnamese electric vehicle maker Vinfast said on Wednesday it has received a fresh round of funding pledges worth $2.5 billion for its future development. Of the pledges, $1 billion will be provided as a grant from its founder Pham Nhat Vuong within the next year, the company said in a statement. Its parent Vingroup (VIC.HM), Vietnam's biggest conglomerate, will provide a grant of $500 million plus a $1 billion loan with maturity of up to five years. The grants and loan will "give a push for Vinfast to accelerate its development," the company said. VinFast first flagged its U.S. IPO in April 2021, aiming to raise $2 billion with valuation of about $60 billion.

☆ VinFast ships 2nd batch of longer-range electric SUVs to North America
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Vinfast is pictured at the 2022 Paris Auto Show in Paris, France October 18, 2022. REUTERS/Stephane MaheHANOI, April 17 (Reuters) - Vietnam's electric vehicle maker VinFast said on Monday it had shipped a second batch of 1,879 longer-range VF 8 sport utility vehicles (SUVs), as it seeks to expand its foothold in overseas markets. Currently, VinFast is offering a monthly lease price of $399 for the VF 8 City Edition model for a 24-month lease. The automaker delivered 865 VF 8 units domestically in the first quarter and has an annual production capacity of 250,000. VinFast has said it secured 55,000 orders globally as of December last year, of which 12,000 are from the U.S. market.

SINGAPORE/HANOI, March 29 (Reuters) - Vietnam's largest conglomerate, Vingroup (VIC.HM), is in discussions to sell a stake in its shopping mall arm as it seeks to bring in strategic investors, five sources told Reuters on Wednesday. Vincom Retail (VRE.HM), Vietnam's biggest shopping mall operator, which is nearly 60% controlled by Vingroup, commands a market value of $2.8 billion. The sources said Thailand's biggest retailer Central Group and other companies are in negotiations to buy a stake in Vincom Retail. Vincom Retail owns 83 shopping malls in Vietnam - a country that grew at 8% last year and emerged as Asia's fastest growing economy. Vincom Retail, which was spun off from Vingroup, listed on the local stock exchange in 2017.

☆ VinFast rolls out long-awaited electric SUVs, eyes overseas deliveries
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, March 23 (Reuters) - Vietnamese carmaker VinFast said on Thursday it will begin delivering its new electric sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to local customers this week and targets overseas deliveries in the coming months. VinFast, which began operations in 2019, is gearing up to expand in the United States, where it hopes to compete with legacy automakers with its two electric SUV models. The VF9 model was initially scheduled to debut at the beginning of this year. The company has said it would ship the second batch to the U.S. in the second quarter of 2023. As of December last year, VinFast said it secured 55,000 orders globally, of which 12,000 were from the U.S. market.

☆ Vietnam's VinFast says three sales executives have left EV company
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Lisa Baertlein/File PhotoHANOI, March 17 (Reuters) - Vietnamese electric-vehicle (EV) start-up VinFast said on Friday three senior sales and customer-service have left the company this week. In a statement to Reuters, VinFast said Gareth Dunsmore, deputy chief executive for global sales and marketing, had left "due to personal reasons and we respect his decision". VinFast has been selling the first batch of VF8s, rebranded as the City Edition to account for the lower range, on lease in California. In June, VinFast said it had ended its contract with Franck Euvrard, the predecessor as deputy CEO for global sales to just-departed Dunsmore. VinFast lost $2.1 billion in 2022 on revenue of $634 million, it said in a registration statement for an IPO.

SINGAPORE/HANOI, March 17 (Reuters) - Asian real estate giant CapitaLand Group is in talks to acquire assets worth roughly $1.5 billion from Vietnam's biggest listed property firm Vinhomes JSC (VHM.HM), two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. A deal of that size would mark one of the largest real estate transactions in Southeast Asia in the last few years. The talks come as Vietnam's property sector is struggling with a cash crunch following an anti-graft campaign launched by the government last year. Vinhomes, Vietnam's biggest real estate developer by market capitalization, is part of Vingroup (VIC.HM), the country's largest conglomerate. Shares of Vinhomes have lost 10% so far this year, after tumbling 40% in 2022 as the property crisis deepened.

☆ VinFast delays US electric vehicle plant operation to 2025
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We need more time to complete administrative procedures," VinFast said in a statement on the delay, which did not specify when in 2025 the plant was expected to start operations. Last year VinFast filed for an initial public offering in the United States to list on the Nasdaq to fund its the plant construction. VinFast started its first sales outside Vietnam last week, delivering its first 45 cars in California on the first day. Its revenue in 2022 was 14.9 trillion dong ($631 million), down about 6.9% against 2021. Net losses rose 55% to 49.8 trillion dong from 32.2 trillion dong, its latest prospectus showed.

☆ VinFast delays U.S. electric vehicle plant operation to 2025
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Leaders open the ceremony to load up VinFast LLC's VF8 electric vehicles into a ship to export at a port in Haiphong, Vietnam, on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. Vietnam's automaker VinFast on Friday said it will push back its plan to start operations of its electric vehicles factory in the United States until 2025, citing a procedural delay. "We need more time to complete administrative procedures," VinFast said in a statement on the delay, which did not specify when in 2025 the plant was expected to start operations. VinFast last month was awarded an Air Permit from local authorities to start construction. It still needs a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed to minimise damage to water quality and wetlands.

☆ VinFast delivers first 45 cars in US market
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] VinFast electric vehicles are parked before delivery to their first customers at a store in Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 1, 2023. REUTERS/Lisa BaertleinMarch 2 (Reuters) - Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast delivered its first 45 cars to customers in California on Wednesday, its first sales outside Vietnam. Last week, the company slashed the lease price on the VF8 electric crossover by 50%. It also dropped an option for consumers to rent the electric car's battery, a plan it had advertised as a way to bring down the cost of ownership. Andrew and Nikki Le, who ordered 11 VinFast cars, took delivery of the first of those at the store.

☆ VinFast slashes lease prices for first U.S. buyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Vietnam's VinFast, a fledgling electric vehicle (EV) maker, is pictured in a sales location at a shopping mall in Santa Monica, California, U.S., May 23, 2022. Its website showed as of Monday a monthly lease price of $399 for the vehicle for a 24-month lease. That amounts to a discount of between 33% and 54% from the initially advertised monthly lease price. VinFast said earlier this month that US Bancorp (USB.N) would provide lease financing for the company's sales in the United States. Vehicle subscription service Autonomy has a deal with VinFast to purchase 2,500 EVs, the companies said in November.

☆ Vietnam EV maker VinFast gets permit to start construction on U.S. factory
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Vietnam's electric vehicle (EV) maker VinFast said on Friday North Carolina regulators had given the automaker one of the environmental permits it needs to begin construction on a planned $4 billion EV assembly plant in the U.S. state. VinFast was awarded an "Air Permit," the company said, adding it was still seeking other permits for the Chatham Country factory, but would start a tender for construction. "The Air Permit allows us to start construction on phase 1 of the factory. We will start construction soon," VinFast said in a statement, without specifying any time frame. VinFast has said it plans to start operations in the North Carolina plant, which is expected to create more than 7,000 jobs, as soon as 2024.

☆ Vietnamese EV maker VinFast says job cuts won't derail plans to start U.S. production
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"We still plan to start the trial production in 2024 as originally planned," Le said. The annual production capacity of the plant is 150,000 electric vehicles, according to the company's release. The next markets VinFast plans to target will be in Europe, namely Germany, France and the Netherlands, said the CEO. However, VinFast vehicles do not currently qualify for the $7,500 tax credit in the U.S. because they are not built in the country, but are built in Vietnam. "I believe that in the long run [we are] going to concentrate the manufacturing of electric vehicles as well as the key components of electric vehicles in the U.S.," Le added.

☆ EV startup Vinfast to cut U.S. jobs amid restructuring
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Vietnamese company, a subsidiary of conglomerate Vingroup JSC (VIC.HM), has been moving to expand in the United States, where it hopes to compete with existing automakers. A VinFast spokesperson said headcount would not shrink in Vietnam where most of the company's staff, including its factory and engineering operations, are located. It was not immediately clear how many jobs would be affected by the U.S. restructuring. VinFast said it had hired about 150 people in the United States, many in sales, support and distribution roles as part of a model that bypasses traditional dealerships. VinFast vehicles are not eligible for the $7,500 tax credit in the United States because they are not built in North America.

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