Vinfast, Vietnam’s first-and-only EV purveyor, got a rude welcome to America from auto journalists, who savaged the 2023 Vinfast VF8 with unusual gusto following the media drive in San Diego. The electric SUV got the kind of report card that students might be afraid to take home to parents, with poor grades on everything from ride quality and road noise to interior materials and glitchy electronics.
But give the company some credit: Instead of clamming up, getting defensive or spinning like a Maytag, as so many automakers do when criticized, Vinfast is vowing to do better. And they intend to do it with the same speed that’s become a hallmark—for better or worse—of this wildly ambitious start-up. The company only built its first cars in 2017, an ICE-powered sedan and SUV based on BMW platforms. The all-electric, all-Vinfast VF8 is to be followed by a three-row VF9 and smaller VF6 and VF7. That’s four all-new electric models between now and roughly year-end, the kind of pace that would make even a Ford or Volkswagen sweat.
Vinfast
In a phone interview, top Vinfast engineers acknowledged problems that affected production-spec VF8’s assembled for testing in San Diego—and promised to address them.
As test-driving journalists noted, several of the VF8’s foibles seemed software related. Some VF8 ADAS systems, including its adaptive cruise control and automated steering assist, were actually a bright spot, controlling the Pininfarina-styled SUV with confidence even in heavy traffic. But other ADAS operations were a disaster, from unreliable blind-spot monitors to electronic nannies that beeped and flashed relentlessly even when there was no danger—and defaulted to their most sensitive status on startup.
Stuart Taylor, Vinfast’s head of smart services (think “software and electronics”) said the company plans to roll out software updates on a roughly 12-week cadence to iron out bugs or add features. That includes an immediate update for 16 of the car’s onboard ECUs. Onboard systems allow quick integration of new features such as Sony’s new in-car streaming service, which the company announced after the media drive. Taylor noted another meeting of the in-house software team was scheduled for immediately after our call.
“The good news is we’ve got about 36 (onboard) ECU’s, and all can take a software update,” Taylor said. “We’ll be able to address things with customer feedback quickly, and deploy that in markets we sell in.”
At the launch event for the VF8, Vinfast had a VF9 on display. Its rear end was held up by jack stands.
Mack Hogan
Asked what competitive models the team benchmarked, engineers said they focused heavily on Mercedes and Tesla, including for their user interface (UI) and experience (UX). The Vinfast’s UX, including a generous 15.6-inch center touchscreen, did earn modest praise when it was working properly. The company has already recalled about 1,000 VF8’s (most still in the manufacturer’s hands) for touchscreens that go blank while driving or sitting. Some testers were perplexed by mirror and sunroof controls that required touching a graphic of those components on a screen animation of the VF8. Engineers said the company will move the mirror control onto a left-hand menu bar for more intuitive operation.
“We have a lot of screen real estate, and we looked to use that most effectively,” Taylor said. “We’re a new brand, and didn’t want to overwhelm customers.”
Mack Hogan
While hardware changes can be trickier, company engineers said they have the ability to make running changes, including to a suspension whose jouncy, unsettled ride was singled out for criticism.
Garrett Evert, deputy CEO of vehicle development, said “We’re definitely looking at tuning as we go, different spring and damper settings,” along with added sound deadening and wind sealing to address complaints over road noise. Engineers said NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) tends to be more important to American buyers, making it a target for improvements.
But with VF8’s already being delivered to customers—who can lease one for as little as $414 a month—it’s hard to see how some physical issues can be addressed on-the-fly at the 23rd hour: The VF8’s budget-looking interior door handles, or its flat and overstuffed seats, are two issues that counter the VF8’s positioning as a “premium” EV entry. And the long list of complaints begs a question: Why weren’t these issues spotlighted and addressed during development and testing, instead of waiting for them to be pounced on by journalists? Or worse, potentially called out by paying customers?
Vinfast
During our drive, a ship was docked near San Francisco, bearing about 2,000 VF8’s bound for North American customers. The very next day, the company announced plans to go public via an SPAC merger, seeking to raise roughly $20 billion to fund operations. That came after a fresh round of funding in April that pledged another $2.5 billion from Vinfast parent company Vingroup, the sprawling conglomerate founded by Pham Nhat Vuong, the former dried-noodle king who became Vietnam’s first billionaire and richest man.
The headlong rush suggests Vinfast may be moving too precipitously to market, or shortcutting necessary steps in development. Then again, at least Vinfast is actually building and selling EVs, unlike so many other big talkers in the space. Fisker, Faraday, Lordstown et al are always “this close” to actually pushing cars out the door.
In many ways, time is of the essence: The company’s most monumental target is in North Carolina, where it aims to build a $4 billion factory with annual capacity for 150,000 vehicles. That factory, and the potential 7,000 jobs it dangles, helped Vinfast secure $1.2 billion in subsidies from North Carolina, in the largest economic development project in state history. That factory seems critical to Vinfast’s chances of competing with Goliaths like Ford, Hyundai and especially Tesla: To secure manufacturer and consumer tax breaks under the Inflation Reduction Act, EVs must be built in North America and source much of their batteries and minerals from the United States or trade partners.
Vinfast
Certainly, Vinfast has (again, quickly) assembled some experienced engineers and talent. Evert spent more than 30 years at Honda, much of it in Marysville, Ohio, including as chief engineer of the 2016 Civic; and was chief engineer for EV start-up Canoo. Taylor’s resume includes serving as Aston Martin’s principal electrical engineer, followed by more than 17 years at Ford, culminating as director of electrical and electronics engineering; and executive director of enterprise connectivity.
Hudson Soares, VF8 chief engineer, logged 17 years at FCA’s Latin American operations, and was chief engineer of that market’s Jeep Compass.
Two engineers noted they joined Vinfast near the tail end of VF8 development, only about 10 months ago. They acknowledge the “extremely aggressive cadence and timeline” for new models, but insist the company’s speed is still an advantage, and that they’re excited to be aboard.
As for Vinfast, “We know we’re new, and we have a lot to learn, but there’s a lot of experience in the room here,” Evert said. “I think the press feedback is a good learning experience for us, and we relish the chance to also get customer feedback and make improvements.”
Keyword: VinFast Knows It Has a Problem, and Is Working to Fix It