Vietnam's answer to the Suzuki Jimny: 2024 VinFast VF3 revealed as compact SUV-style electric car

While Holden fans might remember the name VinFast from its short-lived time with an engineering outpost in Australia - and ownership of the former Holden proving ground at Lang Lang - the five-year-old brand’s plans in its home nation are more developed.

Its newest model, the VF3, is one of several electric cars in its line-up, with the company hoping it becomes a ‘car of the people’ in Vietnam.

Despite having published no specifications in terms of the drivetrain and battery, VinFast says the VF3 is “equipped with an electric motor and battery that offer an impressive travel distance” and is suited to “most Vietnamese drivers”.

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Measuring at just 3114mm, the two door isn’t likely to have a massive battery, though it is large enough to accommodate five people.

A basic interior appears to include a digital dash screen but no dedicated multimedia screen, while there’s no centre console as part of its “minimalist” interior.

It’ll come in two trims, Eco and Plus, which the brand says will be “accessibly priced for mass appeal while providing a safe, convenient, and smart transportation solution”.

The VF3 measures in at just 3114mm.

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A basic interior appears to include a digital dash screen but no dedicated multimedia screen.

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On the brand’s hopes for the VF3 to become something of a “national vehicle” for Vietnam, it says the car “can help fulfil 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”.

VinFast says it expects orders to open in September this year, and for deliveries to begin in the third quarter of 2024.

Don’t expect to see the VF3, or any VinFast products for that matter, in Australia any time soon as the company’s presence in Australia was short-lived as an engineering outpost, built on the remains of Holden’s properties and former employees until the Covid pandemic caused the company to abandon local plans.