At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday embattled Vietnamese car company VinFast brought the Jabbawockeez dance crew onstage to unveil its new pickup truck, the Wild. While that pickup is just a concept for now, VinFast also used its CES presentation to formally announce that its super small, super cute and hopefully super cheap VF3 electric SUV will be sold in America, according to Motor1.
The VF3 has total Suzuki Jimny vibes in terms of styling, but it’s much, much smaller. At just 125.6 inches long the VF3 is almost a foot shorter than even the kei version of the Jimny, and it’s only a couple inches longer than the old Scion iQ. That means the VF3 is also nearly two feet shorter than the new Fiat 500e, which will be the smallest EV on sale when it reaches U.S. dealers within the next few months.
Despite its diminutive size the VF3 can apparently seat five people, and the second row folds down for up to 19.4 cubic feet of cargo space. The interior features a 10-inch gauge cluster screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, plus actual steering wheel buttons and stalks and what look like climate control knobs.
No specs have been given yet, but during the CES presentation VinFast said it is aiming for an EPA range of 125 miles. That’s both not a lot and also more than enough for a car like this. The old Smart ForTwo EV had a range of just 58 miles, and even the new 500e only has a range of 149 miles.
VinFast says that it will open the reservation books in the U.S. later this year, with no word as to when deliveries will start. The company has already broken ground on a factory in North Carolina that will begin production in 2025; if the VF3 were to be built in the U.S. it would certainly be easier to hit the sub-$20,000 target that VinFast set for the VF3 last year.
When the VF3 first debuted, VinFast talked about how it wants the VF3 to become the people’s car of Vietnam:
With its outstanding advantages of zero emissions, noise-free operation, environmental friendliness, and, most importantly, high safety standards, VF 3 has the potential to become the new “national vehicle” for the Vietnamese people. It can help fulfill the “car dreams” of millions of families while improving living standards and serving as a powerful catalyst for the widespread adoption of electric cars in Vietnam.
If the VF3 really does make it to the U.S., at the proposed price and without the problems that have plagued the VF8, VinFast could finally have a hit on its hands.
