As we move toward electric vehicles, all kinds of new car brands have been popping up — giving the traditional automakers a run for their money. Over the past few years at CES, one of the more interesting of those has been VinFast — a Vietnamese company that delivered its first cars in the U.S. in November. Now, the company is planning on more releases over the next year — and at CES 2023, we learned more about what those cars will offer.
VinFast may not be very well known in the U.S., but it’s actually one of the larger automakers in Vietnam. It certainly doesn’t have the experience in manufacturing on the scale that it’s hoping to in the U.S., but unlike many of the other electric carmakers, it is actually shipping cars — not just building concepts. The VinFast VF8 crossover and VF9 SUV were announced earlier — but little was known about the smaller VF6 and VF7 models, until now. Turns out, like their larger siblings, they’re pretty compelling options.
VinFast VF6
The VinFast VF6 is the company’s new entry-level model, offering the smallest size and lowest range. It’s actually available in two variants — the VF6 Eco and the VF6 Plus. The Eco model offers a longer range, however, even then it maxes out at 248 miles, which is a little low. The Plus model, which is built for better performance, offers up to 237 miles of range.
The VF6, like VinFast’s other cars, is built with some pretty smart features. The cars come with Level 2 highway assist features, along with lane centering and adaptive cruise control. These are features that we’ve come to expect from electric cars in 2022, but it’s still nice to see them here.
On the inside, the VinFast VF6 offers its own infotainment system that at a basic glance looks a lot like Tesla’s. It also supports CarPlay and Android Auto, which is pretty handy.
I was able to see the VinFast VF6 at CES 2023, and while it’s not necessarily the sleekest-looking car out there, it’s far from ugly — and it’s expected to be relatively inexpensive. Unfortunately, we don’t yet know exactly how much it will cost. Orders for the VF6 will be open for U.S. customers in March, according to the company. Deliveries are expected by the end of the year.
VinFast VF7
The VinFast VF7 steps up things a little in terms of size, but it’s still nowhere near as big as the VF9. Like the VF6, there are two VF7 models, a VF7 Eco and VF7 Plus. The Eco model is able to deliver a maximum range of 280 miles, while the more powerful Plus model can hit 268 miles.
The Plus is more powerful, but it’s also the only one that has all-wheel drive — as there’s no AWD VF6. Like the VF6, you’ll get the smart driver-assist features, along with VinFast’s big screen and infotainment system.
The VinFast VF7 isn’t as modern-looking as some EVs out there, but it still offers a pretty stylish design overall. The larger size should make it more appealing to many U.S. customers, too. Like the VF6, the VF7 will be open for orders starting in March with deliveries by the end of the year — though we still don’t know how much it will cost.
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