The pint-sized VinFast VF3 all-electric urban runabout is officially coming to the United States, a company spokesperson confirmed for InsideEVs during the model’s global launch at CES 2024 in Las Vegas earlier today. The Wild mid-size pickup concept, which previews a series production model, was also revealed at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.
It’s good news for anybody who’s looking for a no-frills, affordable all-electric vehicle that offers the bare necessities and just enough space inside for four people. That said, we still don’t know when exactly the diminutive EV will reach American shores or how much it will cost when it eventually arrives in dealerships here, but an adviser to the automaker went on record last year saying that “it’s probably sub-$20,000.”
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VinFast confirms tiny two-door EV will come to the U.S.
VinFast, the Vietnamese automaker that’s trying to make a name for itself in the American car market, confirmed that its smallest and most affordable model, the VF3, will come to the United States.
If it turns out to be true, it would be the cheapest new EV on sale in the country that’s not a Neighbourhood Electric Vehicle (NEV), meaning that getting a battery-powered car would be easier for many more people who can’t afford anything more expensive.
Measuring just 125.6 inches long, 66.1 in wide, and 63.8 in tall, the VF3 is about 30 inches shorter, 3 inches narrower, and 1 inch taller than the Chevrolet Bolt EV. Details are still scarce, but VinFast said it’s aiming for an EPA driving range of 125 miles on a full charge.
Is that enough for American streets? We’ll have to wait and see when the car becomes a real occurrence on U.S. roads and not just a placeholder. In the meantime, you can scroll down to the comments section to let us know what you think.
There’s a 10-inch screen for the infotainment system, as well as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, although the company didn’t mention if they’re of the wired or wireless variety.
The two rear seats fold flat to create a total cargo capacity of 550 liters or 19.42 cubic feet, which is on par with a compact four-door hatchback. It’s worth noting, however, that VinFast didn’t say what the cargo capacity of the VF3 is with all four seats in place, but we’d argue it’s tiny.
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Then, there are the unavoidable potential issues of reliability and build quality. One of the marque’s bigger EVs, the VF8, which is already being sold in the U.S., was slammed by several reviewers when it was launched Stateside. The InsideEVs review of the 2023 VinFast VF8 City Edition summed everything up into one word in the headline: “Yikes.”
The Vietnamese startup will begin accepting reservations for the VF3 sometime this year. In its home market of Vietnam, deliveries of the pint-sized EV are scheduled to begin in the third quarter of this year, and we expect the U.S. to follow.
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Stepping into the fantasy world for a moment (even if we were just barely outside of it), VinFast also revealed a concept vehicle that portrays an all-electric pickup truck. Dubbed the Wild, the EV is 209 in long and 79 in wide and features a power-folding mid-gate that allows the bed length to expand from 5 to 8 feet with the rear seats folded down automatically.
There’s also a panoramic glass roof and a pair of digital side mirrors that supposedly improve aerodynamics, but probably the most important piece of information is that the Wild pickup previews a series-production electric pickup that may or may not come to the United States.
If it does make its way to the U.S., it would go against other pickups like the Tesla Cybertruck, Ford F-150 Lightning, and Rivian R1T, but it’s worth mentioning that all of these are real vehicles you can buy and that all three are longer than VinFast’s concept (the R1T is classed as mid-size while the Lightning and Cybertruck are full-size).
They also benefit from established and growing service networks, as opposed to VinFast, which is still in its infancy on all fronts.
