VinFast may be planning to resume construction on its plant in North Carolina in the U.S., but one model that won’t be built there is the VF 6. The Vietnamese automaker has decided it won’t bring the all-electric compact SUV to the North American market after all.
There was no official confirmation by the automaker to this effect, but as reported by outlet RPMWeb, a visit to the company’s North American websites shows the VF 6 is no longer offered. The VF 7 is, and so presumably is still scheduled to launch. When that might be, however, is anyone’s guess.
VinFast early steps in North America have been difficult, to say the least. Initial plans for quickly rolling out an expansive lineup of EVs in both Canada and the U.S. have been waylaid by slow initial sales, hiccups in the adoption rate of EVs, daunting competition, questions about reliability, tariffs and hostility from the Trump administration.
To date, the automaker offers only two models – the VF 8 and VF 9 SUVs. The VF 6 and VF 7, first presented at the Los Angeles Auto Show way back in 2022, are nowhere to be seen. And, at least in the case of the VF 6, it won’t be seen here any time soon.
The company hasn’t said it’s cancelling the VF 6 worldwide. But given that the company has been bleeding money as it attempts to impose its presence in global markets, it’s not surprising to see it tightens its belts where it makes the most sense to do so. In North America, that will mean focusing on the two models already on the playing field.
As we reported, the cost-cutting extends to the plant in North Carolina, construction of which was halted in 2024 so VinFast could reconsider its options. The new plan reportedly calls for a scaled-back facility that will produce fewer calls – and employ fewer workers, to the displeasure of governments that have supplied the automaker with subsidies and incentives.