VinFast delivers first electric cars, Lohscheller leaves

VinFast has delivered its first electric cars to customers in Vietnam. This is the e-SUV VF e34, of which VinFast plans to deliver thousands more vehicles in January 2022. It was also announced that the German CEO Michael Lohscheller has resigned after only four months.

The VF e34 is a mid-size SUV. However, this C-segment model will not be coming to Europe where VinFast wants to start with the VF e35 in the D-segment and VF 3 36 in the E-segment.

With the handover of the first batch of electric cars, VinFast also officially announced its new battery rental package for customers in Vietnam. The monthly subscription fee is the equivalent of 26 euros, which allows customers to drive up to 500 kilometres per month. For each additional kilometre, 0.04 euros is charged. If the usable capacity of the Auuk falls below 70 per cent of its new value, VinFast will replace the battery at its own expense. For the first 25,000 customers, the battery rental is free for the first year. The monthly fees are to be adjusted every year on 1 September based on current electricity and petrol prices.

There is also information about VinFast’s own charging service: at public VinFast stations, customers pay the equivalent of €0.10/kWh. If the car is fully charged, 0.04€/min is charged from the 31st minute. The charging costs are billed together with the battery rental. It is not yet clear whether VinFast will also offer such a charging service in Europe, and if so, under what conditions.

Meanwhile, the German executive Michael Lohscheller has resigned as CEO of VinFast. The former Opel boss had only taken over the post at the Vietnamese electric car start-up in September 2021 and is now returning to Europe for personal reasons. The DPA writes, citing Lohscheller’s surroundings, “that contact with the family had suffered under the pandemic conditions”. He now wants to explore offers from Europe.

Lohscheller will be replaced as CEO at VinFast by the financial expert Le Thi Thu Thuy, who is also deputy CEO of the entire group. Le Thi Thu Thuy will continue to fill this post in parallel.

prnewswire.com (deliveries), carscoops.com, paultan.org (both Lohscheller)