VinFast launches its VF e35 and VF e36 electric vehicles in LA

UPDATE, November 19: VinFast is one step closer to making its first foray into the North American market, taking the covers off its two electric vehicles at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The D-segment VF e35 and E-segment VF e36 (not to be confused with a Commodore or BMW 3 Series) are set to go on sale in the United States next year – a big stage for the Vietnam-based marque to try and perform on during its infancy.

CEO of VinFast Global and former Opel CEO, Michael Lohscheller, said the manufacturer's focus is to introduce vehicles which can directly influence climate change, while providing a unique experience for owners.

"We are deeply motivated to inspire our customers to be bold and join the revolution to EVs to accelerate solutions which will address this crisis," said Lohscheller.

"VinFast believes that the future of mobility will be one of smart electric cars that are highly personalised and integrated with technologies that benefit life and our environment.

"These vehicles will do so while meeting safety standards and delivering superior and comfortable driving experiences."

Click through the galleries below to take a closer look at the Pininfarina-designed VF e35 and the large VF e36 SUV.

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October 15: Vietnamese automotive manufacturer VinFast is set to debut two new electric vehicles at next month's Los Angeles Auto Show, marking the global premiere of its latest models.

The VF e35 and VF e36 will both be electric SUVs for the D and E market segments respectively – each larger than the previously launched VF 33 SUV, which has already been touted for a North American debut.

Similar to rivals such as Tesla, the VinFast vehicles will include a range of autonomous driving features, including; fully automated parking, vehicle summoning and driver monitoring – on top of more common technologies such as lane assist and collision warning.

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VinFast VF e35

Le Thi Thu Thuy, Vice Chairwoman of Vingroup, said the manufacturer believes its vehicles will be contenders in the competitive electric market.

“Global demand for quality EVs drives the work of our VinFast team every day," said Thi Thu Thuy.

"We have made vigorous investments and conducted extensive market research to create premium EVs that will satisfy the desires of global customers. This is just the beginning.

"We hope to capture the hearts and imaginations of even the most demanding customers with VinFast’s dedicated service and smart, high-quality products.”

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VinFast VF e36

In July, VinFast opened its first office in the United Sates, relocating those involved with its North American operations from its home base in Vietnam to California.

After the departure of Holden, VinFast had purchased the former General Motors-owned proving grounds at Lang Lang, setting up a local research and development team for its vehicles. However, a restructuring of the Melbourne office in May led to a number of redundancies and resignations, including former deputy CEO of product development, Kevin Yardley – as detailed by Bruce Newton in the July 2021 issue of Wheels.

It was announced in August the Lang Lang proving grounds would be sold, resulting in around 50 redundancies within the local VinFast team as well as reignited fears of what the future holds for the site.

VinFast recorded 30,000 sales in its native Vietnam last year and had targeted 56,000 sales in 2022, although this number was reduced to 15,000 due to the ongoing semiconductor shortage. It has no intentions of selling vehicles in Australia.