Vietnam’s first export EV, Vinfast VF8, makes shaky but promising US debut
Enlarge / The Vinfast VF8 is a new electric vehicle from Vietnam that seeks to tempt buyers away from Mustang Mach-Es, ID.4s, Model Ys, and all the other midsize electric crossovers out there. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)
Vinfast provided flights from DC to San Diego and back, plus a night in a hotel so we could drive the VF8. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.
ENCINITAS, CALIF.-Starting a new car company isn't especially easy. Tesla struggled for years to become self-sustainable, and newer startups like Rivian and Lucid have run into plenty of their own roadblocks. We may be able to add Vinfast to that list. In addition to establishing itself as a new brand, it has an added unfamiliarity factor as these electric vehicles are built in Vietnam, at least until Vinfast's factory in North Carolina is up and running.
The first batch of Vinfasts has now arrived, and we've driven it on the streets north of San Diego. So, how does this new entrant stack up against the midsized electric crossover competition?
Founded in 2017 as part of the conglomerate Vingroup, Vinfast has been building cars for domestic consumption for four years now. It's developing a full lineup of electric models, but for now just the VF8 crossover and the larger VF9 SUV are confirmed for these shores, with just the VF8 having arrived so far. Vinfast suffered a bit of a setback with its first batch of US VF8s, however, with disappointing EPA range estimates of just 207 miles (333 km) for the Eco version and 191 miles (307 km) for the Pro model.