Vietnam automaker VinFast files for U.S. IPO to fund expansion By Reuters

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The Futures that can be played with 100 yuanVinFast logo is displayed on a VF5 electric SUV during CES 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 5, 2022. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

By Phuong Nguyen

HAIPHONG (Reuters) -Vietnamese automaker VinFast said on Thursday its Singapore-based holding company had filed for an initial public offering (IPO) with U.S. securities regulators, as it plans spending of $4 billion on its first U.S. factory complex.

VinFast, which became the first fully fledged domestic car maker in 2019, is betting big on the U.S. market, where it hopes to compete with legacy automakers and startups with electric SUVs and a battery leasing model.

A source familiar with the matter said VinFast would probably look to raise about $2 billion from the offering.

"VinFast is moving ahead with its plans but the timing of the IPO is very much open," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "There needs to be a window to get the IPO done and it could easily take a couple of months."

A unit of Vietnam's biggest conglomerate Vingroup JSC, Vinfast said it had not determined the IPO https:// size and price range.

"There are options to look at. We are still considering a lot of options," Chief Executive Le Thi Thu Thuy told reporters on the sidelines of an event to showcase the company's new VF8 battery-powered SUV.

She said the IPO was planned for the second half of this year as one option to fund a plant planned in North Carolina and U.S. expansion.

Last week the company said it signed a preliminary deal to initially invest $2 billion to build the North Carolina factory to make electric buses, sport utility vehicles and batteries for electric vehicles.

The company, established in 2017, plans to transition to all-electric vehicle production from late 2022.

A year ago sources said Vinfast was considering an IPO that could value the company at about $60 billion.

That valuation looks stretched in current markets, the person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

"Even the companies that have gone ahead with U.S. IPOs have had a sharp correction in valuations, so that's a given," he added.

Outside North America, VinFast is looking for a plant in Germany, it said in January.

VinFast said prices for its VF8 SUV started from $41,000 in the United States, versus about $63,000 for a Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) SUV. It targets global electric vehicle sales of 42,000 this year.

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