Auto Industry Reviews

VinFast is betting big on the U.S. market, where it hopes its electric SUVs and a battery leasing model will be enough to tempt consumers away from the likes of Tesla and General Motors.

The company will provide equipment produced nationally with a power of 7.4 kilowatts, ideal for homes or residential buildings, and 22 kilowatts, which is more suitable for companies.

The Series B funding round brings the startup's total fundraising to $258 million and includes new investments from venture capital firms D1 Capital Partners, Moore Strategic Ventures and Linse Capital, plus fresh capital from investors including Microsoft.

ASML Chief Executive Peter Wennink said "the expected impact of the fire in part of a building at our Berlin site is included" in the 2022 growth forecast.

The announcements come amid scrutiny of Tesla's driver assistance system Autopilot, which handles some driving tasks and allows drivers to keep their hands off the wheel at times.

Brent crude futures settled up 93 cents, or 1.1%, at $88.44 a barrel. The global benchmark earlier touched $89.13, its highest level since Oct. 13, 2014.

The average LNG price for March delivery into north-east Asia fell to around $23.00 per metric million British thermal units (mmBtu), down $9.60 or nearly 30% from the previous week, industry sources said.

Brent futures fell 49 cents, or 0.6%, to settle at $87.89 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 41 cents, or 0.5%, to settle at $85.14.