“Yikes.” “Return to Sender.” “Unacceptable.” “Don’t buy.”
Late last week, critics released their first impressions of VinFast’s VF8, the first model from the Vietnamese automaker available to U.S. drivers. The reviews have largely been negative and blunt.
“You don’t see a new car get roasted this hard very often these days,” wrote auto journalist Andrew P. Collins in The Drive.
“Critics agree: The VinFast VF8 is very, very bad,” read the headline in the car-focused outlet Jalopnik.
This widespread panning could put North Carolina leaders on alert.
In 2025, VinFast intends to launch its first North American assembly plant on a megasite near the Chatham County town of Moncure, about 30 miles southwest of Raleigh. By decade’s end, the VinFast factory is projected to employ upwards of 7,500 people and produce hundreds of thousands of fully electric SUVs annually.
Between the state and Chatham governments, officials have allotted $1.25 billion in tax and other incentives for the project.
But all these projections hinge on drivers actually buying the vehicles. Getting a new car brand to connect with customers is a tall task in general. Harsh reviews make that pursuit even more arduous.
VinFast is part of VinGroup, the largest private conglomerate in Vietnam. It began producing cars in 2019, releasing internal combustion engine vehicles within its home market. At the start of last year, the company announced it would pivot to an exclusive EV lineup and begin selling internationally.
The transition has been expensive. In 2022, VinFast lost $2.1 billion, according to its financial records. While its backed by a major conglomerate, VinFast had financial motivation to get its vehicles to market under a quick timeline.
A very bumpy ride
In December, VinFast celebrated its initial shipment of roughly 1,000 VF8s to North America.
Yet delays followed, and customer deliveries did not begin until March. To date, VinFast told The News & Observer, 310 VF8s have been delivered to U.S. customers. In March, the company also postponed the opening of its Chatham plant from 2024 to 2025.
Last week, critics began publishing their reviews from test driving the five-seat SUV model. Many didn’t mince words.
“Put the VF8 in reverse to back out of a spot, and the whole car shudders violently,” noted Motor Trend reviewer Scott Evans in his May 12 write-up.
Evans also found issues with the parking brake release, navigation map display, speed limit warning system, and HVAC system, pointing out one model he tested would reset the internal climate to 80 degrees every time the car was powered off and on. He said he believed many, but not all, of the VF8 perceived shortcomings could be addressed with over-the-air software updates.
Others derided the VF8 for being unsteady.
Mack Hogan of Road & Track magazine said the VF8 had “the worst body control of any modern car I’ve ever driven,” adding “over a 90-minute drive, the 5600-lb SUV never stopped bobbing, swaying, and bucking, producing near-constant head-tossing motions.”
Hogan deemed the car “unacceptable.”
InsideEVs called driving in the vehicle “unbearable” due to “the sheer amount of bouncy body motions coming through the VF8’s suspension.” The reviewer said it was the first time he’s ever gotten car sick.
‘Bad reputation’
Another critic chastised VinFast for racing the VF8 through development.
“Why Vinfast is intent on rushing this car to market is beyond me,” wrote Emme Hall in Green Car Reports on Friday. “If it would just slow down a bit, take the time to fix the problems we all experienced, it might actually have a decent car. As it stands now, the VF8 City Edition will do nothing except earn Vinfast a bad reputation, one that might take decades to shake.”
VinFast has not yet responded to questions from The News & Observer regarding its reaction to these negative reviews.
Some critics were more favorable. The EV news outlet Electrek called the VF8 “a solid start, but there’s always room for improvement.” Electrek praised the model’s 10-year, unlimited mileage battery warranty.
The VF8 comes in two versions — City Edition or Plus — with the former being available to some North American customers. The City Edition costs $49,000 and the Plus is listed at $51,800.
Gov. Roy Cooper has spoken optimistically about VinFast’s future in North Carolina, heralding the project as “transformative” when first announcing the state’s partnership in March 2022. Last month, the governor sat in the passenger seat of a VF8 during a ceremonial test drive in Sanford.
His office has not yet responded to questions about how he found the ride.
