This Dirt Cheap Electric SUV Is Coming To America And You Should Be Pumped

Vinfast 1999 Q Yel Ts
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Electric vehicles can make awesome daily drivers. They’re cheap to run, require minimal maintenance, don’t need any warm-up time, and are surprisingly refined. Unfortunately, they’re rather expensive in America, where options below $30,000 are basically nonexistent now that the Chevrolet Bolt is out of production. Are you someone who’s been craving cheap EVs on American soil? Well, pretty soon, you should be able to put your money where your mouth is because the VinFast VF3 is officially coming to America.

Everyone had a hunch that this mini-crossover would make it to America, but it wasn’t confirmed until today, when VinFast made an announcement at CES. While specs are fairly light for now, expect a targeted 125 miles (200 km) of EPA range. That’s not a big figure, but this isn’t a big car. From stem to stern, the VinFast VF3 measures 122.5 inches long, making it two feet, four inches shorter than a Mitsubishi Mirage. We’re talking about a vehicle 2.4 inches longer than the absolutely tiny Scion iQ that Mercedes has been driving around, and that form factor really puts the “aww” in adorable.

Look at it! It’s like a Pomeranian dressed up in a lion costume. It’s saying “I swear I’m a Suzuki Jimny. No really, I am.” You just want to say “That’s the right answer, kid” and give it a crisp fiver to spend on sweets because it’s going to grow up right. Everything else is reasonably small by modern standard too. The VF3 features 16-inch wheels, just one door on each side, and just four lugs per hub. Despite this, it features two rows of seats, making it substantially more useful than, say, a smart fortwo.

Vinfast Vf3 Real Photo 1536x10242  So what could this little EV cost? In an interview with Automotive News last year, VinFast advisor Duke Hale said that American dealers “really liked the VF 3 and the reason is it’s probably sub-$20,000.” Boom. Even though it’s not absolutely confirmation, a targeted price is still a huge deal. Nobody’s ever done a full-speed EV for the American market at that sort of pricing before. If it lands anywhere near Nissan Versa money, it could be a total wildcard even without federal EV incentives.

 

Vinfast Vf3 12

 

In America, cheap cars are a dying species, and cheap EVs have historically been low-speed vehicles you can’t take on the interstate. If the VinFast VF3 meets its range target and arrives with a price tag of around $20,000, it would be charting unknown territory. However, timing might not be on its side. VinFast claims that U.S. deposits will open later this year, which likely means an arrival date sometime in 2025. If Chevrolet sticks to the 2025 timeline for the next Bolt, keeps pricing under $30,000, and makes it eligible for federal EV incentives, it could drill down into VF3 pricing territory. Of course, those are a lot of “if”s to line up, and if things fall out of whack, it could still render the VF3 in a price bracket of one.

Vinfast Vf3 22

 

So, will the VinFast VF3 be a great first car for recent grads, or a great second car for couples and small families? Depending on how things go, it may be a viable option. Remember, Hyundai started off selling cheap-as-chips cars and is now an automotive giant on the bleeding edge of EV innovation. If the VF3 is VinFast’s redemption arc, we’ll just have to see how it plays out. Regardless, more cheap cars are always worth getting pumped about, and the VF3 could be exceptionally cheap indeed. Let’s hope it’s better-built than the VF8 City Edition.

(Photo credits: VinFast)

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101 thoughts on “This Dirt Cheap Electric SUV Is Coming To America And You Should Be Pumped”

  1. While I’m not stoked about Vietnamese cars, I am curious about one thing. Back in the 80s and 90s I had Yugos. Their VINs all started with V, since that was the country code for Yugoslavia. Which no longer exists. So has V been reassigned to Vietnam?

    1. No, Vietnam is RL, Serbia inherited Yugoslavia’s code as the remaining rump state (Yugoslavia changed its name to Serbia & Montenegro, which then became Serbia after Montenegro seceded)

    1. Yeah, that one article from the old site that came out last year where they flew the guy to Vietnam was really damning. Like, it was just bad look after bad look from VinFast

  4. My friend’s mother in HS had a Pomeranian. Awful little POS like an especially stupid and cowardly small rodent that did nothing but yip, shit, and piss all over despite being sent to dog training several times. Disgusting that they called it a dog. Even worse was that it replaced some kind of awesome shepherd dog that looked like a collie, but was called something else after he passed. Anyway, made by VinFast who not only has universally and excessively bad reviews, but those reviews are in spite of the company having people arrested and harassed for giving them? Yeah, Pomeranian is a good comparison.

  6. Man, this is like finding out someone finally took my idea for a Chicken Kiev sandwich. But, that someone was Burger King. I love the premise so much. If this had Suzuki badge on it, I would of all ready started mailing loose change to Japan hoping they accept that as my pre-order. It’s got to be the one company that put out the biggest steaming pile of over-confidence since Olds went diesel. Literally anyone else please make this! I drive under fifty miles a day, often on rural poorly maintained roads. It fits my needs perfectly. And there are dozens like me! dozens!!!

  8. $13.5K gets you a 2018 Nissan Leaf. $18.5k gets you a 2020 Bolt. With more room and more range. Everybody who says they’re lining up for this Vinfast thingy would be better off to buy a Leaf or a Bolt.

    1. Yeah, this. It’s even smaller with the same range as a Mini SE. Which is a much better buy for $20k. Or just grab a Bolt/EUV with the $7500 credit and be done with it. My gut tells me these will end up being CA lease specials for $199/mo – no way anyone is buying one for even $20k when much better options exist.

    2. I had the same take on the Honda E, but the denizens of the old website were not ready for it. Even the catheter cowboys who normally demanded at least 500 miles of range were somehow all-in on that thing.

      I guess I’m saying that everyone’s a cynic until a puppy waddles into the room.

  9. As long as they don’t explode, these should be a screaming deal to lease. 12.5k for an ev that fits most everyday needs (assuming you can charge somewhere) is a meaningful improvement for people low on funds. Depending on how awful of a car it is, it could be a good deal.

  12. Bunch of Autopians: We need a sub-$20k EV!

    VinFast: BEHOLD!

    Same Autopians: … can we get a mulligan?

    I was just wondering who would try to market one first here. Thought for sure it would be either Mitsubishi or BYD. Nope.

    Looking at what’s available used locally as far as EVs, a bit of a stretch on budget would net a 2020 Niro EV (fully loaded EX Premium) with under 40k miles, twice the range, twice the doors, and probably twice the steel in the door beams. This harkens back 15 years to the “Would you rather buy a new Hyundai Accent or a used Honda Civic?” dilemma. Except without a well established dealer network, or 2+ decades of prior manufacturing experience, or a car where tall people aren’t completely eating their knees…

  15. With the tax credit I might be convinced to lease one of these as a third/fourth car. Certainly wouldn’t depend on it for trips outside my immediate area though.

  18. “This Dirt Cheap Electric SUV Is Coming To America And You Should Be Pumped” Should I be, though? I spent $14k on my 500e almost 2 years ago and I think I got twice the value the VF3 would have when brand new. Any used EV (except a Leaf) would be a better deal than this VinSlow.
    “Regardless, more cheap affordable cars are always worth getting pumped about, and the VF3 could will be exceptionally cheap indeed.”

    We don’t need cheap; we need affordable.

  22. VinFast advisor Duke Hale said that American dealers “really liked the VF 3 and the reason is it’s probably sub-$20,000.”

    Well sure they do. That price leaves plenty of room for their ADMs.

  25. Range is too low for this thing to sell well. It might still make a VinFast a profit. If its aerodynamics are mediocre or even terrible, its highway range will prove worse than EPA estimates.

    1. 120 Vinfast miles is more like 90 real world miles. I can’t imagine the vehicle dynamics of a short wheelbase vehicle engineered by Vinfast either considering how the VF(insert number) handles.

    2. For less than $20k, it could just be your runabout – but let’s see if insurance and registration costs tank the potential savings of a 2-car use case.

        1. The key thing is that it’s a lot easier to get a loan from a credit union on a new vehicle than it is decade old tesla. If it is usable as a car, this could be a decent lease deal.

        2. Agree with your premise. As the reality about battery life and replacement costs sets in, a 10 yr old Tesla will sell for golf cart prices and make a perfect local runabout.

        3. I hope we’re lucky enough for EV batteries to remain stable and predictable that deep into their decline. I’m expecting at least some batteries to stop deteriorating and start failing by then (I’m thinking dendrite growth, separator membrane failure, etc. Stuff that only has to go wrong in one out of hundreds or thousands of cells to make battery unsafe to use), and really hoping due diligence was done by the developers to make the BMS recognize it and turn the battery into an expensive paperweight. People are going to be livid, but it’s better than the alternative.

          Has anyone launched a battery architecture capable of taking one cell or module of cell out of service and continuing to work at a lower nominal voltage?

          1. Has anyone launched a battery architecture capable of taking one cell or module of cell out of service and continuing to work at a lower nominal voltage?

            Tesla’s 1st gen Model 3 mostly does this. If I’m not mistaken, it can run fine with one cell in a series string taken out. Every cell is individually fused.

            IMO, the best approach is to make the pack simple and repairable. A single series string of large cells, placed in an accessible location in a manner that is serviceable with basic tools. When one goes bad, the car doesn’t run, but you don’t need special tools to fix it and can fix it with less than a couple hours of labor(most of it spent balancing the new cell before placing it into the pack to replace the non-operational cell, or alternatively even more time spent discharging every cell to bottom balance the pack and new cell before placement). IMO the biggest downside to this approach is that you’d need standardized battery modules of different sizes for different types of vehicle, since one size will not fit all, and the standards chosen for the batteries will need to require the batteries to consistently have the same properties across multiple makes and models of vehicles, so that you could go to your Autozone or O’Reilly’s and pick up a battery that will allow the pack to be fixed.

            1. That’s really interesting. Does that feature have a name I can use to read up more on it? I don’t know how one could design the system to be able to take a cell out of the string, but bridge the newly created gap in the without an impractical number of switching elements that all consume power. Some type of reverse fuse that closes when fired?

              You’re describing a car that you and I would be interested in, but will likely never happen. Too much risk involved in letting someone without training inside the high voltage boundary. I’d be pretty uncomfortable in there myself, though I wonder if you could design the pack so that when the cover is off, all the series strings are broken up into individual cells… suddenly the biggest voltage is 4.2V, but you now have thousands of electrical contacts to fail, protected by a user-accessible seal located in the absolute wettest, dirtiest part of the car.

              You already touched on the other elephant in the automotive battery repair room: Putting a new cell into a 10% degraded pack is going to cause problems.

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