Vietnam's first export EV, Vinfast VF8, makes shaky but promising US debut

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.

This batch of 999 VF8s has been renamed the VF8 City Edition as a result, with leases starting at a competitive $399 a month. (Earlier plans for a battery subscription have been dropped, and for now all Vinfasts will be leased, not sold outright.) There has also been a change in battery cell supplier (from Samsung SDI to CATL), which Vinfast says means the next shipload of VF8s due to arrive will be capable of up to 264 miles (425 km) for the Eco and 243 miles (391 km) for the Plus version; Vinfast says that people leasing the City Edition will be able to swap it for one of the newer, longer-range versions at the end of their first year with the EV.