VinFast VF3 is a rugged-looking urban EV for the Vietnamese market
Developed specifically for the Vietnamese market, the VinFast VF3 is the smallest member of the company’s growing range of EVs. Although it’s characterized by a rugged-looking exterior design, it’s a tiny two-door model that was designed primarily for crowded urban centers.
VinFast’s first entry into what it refers to as the “mini-car segment” measures 122.5 inches long, so it’s around 20 inches shorter than the new, European-market Fiat 500 (the electric model due out on our shores in 2024) and approximately 16 inches longer than the current-generation Smart ForTwo. While many city cars end up with a design that can be described as “cute,” VinFast gave the VF3 a boxy look with SUV-like styling cues such as black cladding on the wheel arches. From some angles, it almost looks like a scaled-down Suzuki Jimny.
In spite of its pocket-sized dimensions, the VF3 reportedly offers space for up to five passengers and it even has a small trunk. The driver faces a two-spoke steering wheel, a tablet-like digital instrument cluster, and a small, minimalist dashboard that doesn’t feature a display for the infotainment system. The brand claims that “basic smart features are fully integrated,” though it hasn’t detailed what they are yet, and we’re guessing smartphone connectivity plays a large role in keeping the occupants entertained and on the right route to their destination.
VinFast didn’t have much to say about what’s under the outdoorsy-looking sheetmetal. All we know is that the VF3 is fully electric, it doesn’t sound like a gasoline- or diesel-burning model will join the lineup, and that the single-motor drivetrain offers “an impressive travel distance.”
Available in two trim levels called Eco and Plus, respectively, the VinFast VF3 will go on sale in September 2023, and deliveries are scheduled to start in the third quarter of 2024. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet but it’s of little interest to us because nothing suggests that we’ll see this tiny electric two-seater in the United States. However, it should be a much bigger deal in Vietnam: VinFast predicts its smallest car this could be a new “national vehicle,” or a people’s car of sorts, for its home country by fulfilling the “car dreams” of millions of families.
