VinFast has grand ambitions to be a global electric car player, and it’s starting its onslaught with three new electric crossovers.
Revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the VF5, VF6, and VF7 will spearhead the Vietnamese brand’s push into the electric world.
It’s not clear if VinFast, which bought and promptly sold the ex-Holden proving ground at Lang Lang, aims to sell its electric cars locally.
Apart from their names, we don’t know much about the plug-in trio.
From the photos, the VF5 looks to be around the size of the 4.1 metre long Toyota Yaris Cross, the VF6 could be about the same length as the C-HR, and the VF7 is closer in size to a RAV4.
In addition to this, VinFast has also simplified the naming scheme for its cars, rebranding the VF e35 as the VF8 and VF e36 as the VF9. Both of these cars were revealed in November 2021, and are due to go into production this year.
All five vehicles have common styling elements, most prominently the LED driving lights stretching the width of the car and diving down in the centre to flank the VinFast logo.
The VF5, VF7 and VF9 have squarer bodies with crisper details, and a side window line that kicks up dramatically towards a black plastic bar on the C-pillar. The VF6 and VF8 have rounder and more organic shapes.
While VinFast was responsible for engineering all five cars, reports indicate styling duties were contracted out to Pininfarina and Torino Design.
The VF8 and VF9 are scheduled to arrive in US driveways from late 2022. Timing for the three new vehicles unveiled today has yet to be confirmed. Australian availability has yet to confirmed.
VF9 
Given the company’s new player status in the United States, VinFast is taking a unique approach for pricing.
The VF8 starts from US$41,000 ($56,700), and the VF9 begins at US$56,000 ($77,500) before factoring in the US$7500 ($10,400) US federal tax rebate.
VinFast’s prices also exclude the price of the battery as owners need to lease the battery for a monthly fee.
The cheapest plan only offers 480km (300mi) per month with a charge for every mile after that, while the top-tier plan allows for unlimited driving. The automaker will pay for all battery maintenance, and will also replace any batteries that fall below 70 per cent maximum capacity for free.
To help sweeten the deal, VinFast vehicles will come with a 10-year/200,000km warranty in the US.
By comparison the Tesla Model Y Long Range starts at US$58,990 and the Model X Dual Motor begins at US$104,990.
Both the VF8 and Model Y have a claimed range of around 500km, while the VF9 bests the Model X by around 150km. It should be noted the VinFast cars are about are a second or two slower to 60mph (97km/h).
