VF3 by VinFast: Urban warrior for congested cities

Many of us live in cities which are already very crowded – so much so that even places which have clearly demarcated areas for parking are seeing more and more man-machine confrontations. MG has a car – the Comet - to address an urban need for a small vehicle that can fit most spaces, but it didn't really take off due to its rather unconventional looks. Now comes a new alternative – the VF3 by VinFast.

The biggest advantage of the VF3 is that it looks more like a conventional car, with a proper ‘bonnet’ upfront, large rectangular headlamps, and a back reminiscent of small hatchbacks. Yes, it is small but undeniably cute, and that is the idea. The very point is to have an ultra-compact city runabout, something smaller than even the mighty Alto and running on electric. VinFast transitioned back in 2022 to an all-electric lineup and currently are marketing the VF6 and the VF7 in India. Now, the next big arsenal in the armoury is the VF3, which the company is positioning more as a personal vehicle than a family vehicle. Designed primarily for city running, the VF3 has a 18.64 kWh LFP battery that drives the rear wheels. This compares favourably with the Comet’s 17.4 kWh LFP battery. The VF3 should be able to comfortably manage 200 kilometres of city driving in this configuration. With a 40 hp motor and 110 NM of torque riding a 2,075 mm wheelbase, the design is quite compact.

In terms of design, the exterior gets steel wheels, black-out pillars and flat windows.

Internationally, there is a whole pack of colours available, though we do not know what colours will make it here apart from the standard white, black, silver and red. Steel wheels don’t go very well in India, so yes, there could be alloy options on the higher trims. A huge number of ‘customisation’ sticker packs are available, and this seems to be the growing demand amongst young owners in India as well, especially with vehicles like the Comet and even the Jimny. Step inside and you could be forgiven for thinking that you are still in the socialist era. Not much equipment around; there is one large 10-inch touchscreen that does all functions, and with wireless CarPlay and AndroidAuto to debut soon, it is in fact quite busy. You have a manual air-con system and front power windows. Curiously, the key goes into a slot between the two slots, and you then push a lever behind the non-adjustable steering wheel for transmission duties.

The VF3 is pretty perky off the mark because of its electric motor, and drives well for the city, though the top speed is capped at 100 km/h. Our test unit had a very high buzzing noise from the motor, but we were told that a lot of development work is going on, and the final product would differ greatly from the prototypes we were driving. Final equipment lists, etc., have also not been finalised at the time of writing this story, so the final product would be interesting to see and knowing VinFast, they will price it just right. Can’t wait to get my hands on one!

Prices expected to start at ₹5.99 lakh with BaaS.

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