2023 VinFast VF 8 First Drive: Cinderella Arrives at the Ball

•    Auto123 gets in a first drive of the 2023 VinFast VF 8.

•    Will this electric SUV find its place in a market dominated by Tesla and other more established manufacturers? Time will tell.

Encinitas, CA - We all know the story of Cinderella meeting her Prince Charming at the ball. VinFast is just arriving in North America, but like Cinderella, the Vietnamese EV maker is not a big player in the automotive world. Yet. But led by Vingroup boss Pham Nhat Vuong, the company’s ambitions are grand. It wants to make a place for itself in North America among the Teslas and established automakers cranking out new EVs by the month. 

Remains to be seen what happens when the clock strikes midnight. Will the coach turn back into a pumpkin? Will the VinFast be accepted into the huge, challenging North American market, or will it slink back whence it came? 

A handsome coach it is
The fairy godmother of VinFast is Pininfarina, a famous Italian coachbuilder that took charge of the design of the VF 8. In terms of size, know that the SUV is very close to a Ford Mustang Mach-e. The VF 8 is 4.75 meters long by 1.93 meters wide and 1.67 meters high.  

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