The authorities of Vietnam announced the recall of about 6,000 electric cars of the national VinFast brand due to a technical problem.

According to the information of the registration service of the Ministry of Transport, checks revealed a malfunction of headlights of VinFast models, “which poses a danger to the driver and other vehicles on the road”.

Complex beginnings

An official press release dated March 5, but recently published, clarifies that this recall affects approximately 5,912 units of the recent VF5 Plus model. All these vehicles were manufactured and sold in Vietnam. Although VinFast announced the recall back in February, it had to wait for government approval to implement it.
As the country’s largest automaker, VinFast has ambitions to compete with global electric car giants such as Tesla and BYD. However, the brand has struggled to convince customers outside of Vietnam, mainly due to doubts about the reliability of its products.
Indeed, the financial numbers show a precarious situation for VinFast. The brand was registered in 2023 the net loss exceeds two billion dollarsafter selling only 35,000 of the 50,000 originally planned.

Some clearances ahead for VinFast?

The beginning of the manufacturer is not necessarily rosy, but the fact remains: he has certain ambitions. However, VinFast reminds that its goal is to democratize the electric car and offer safe, practical and intelligent transport solutions for everyone.
Of course, this is not obvious with its two SUVs (VF8 and VF9, which are sold in France at prices that are quite indigestible for the services offered, while waiting for the VF6 and VF7, which should be priced a little lower. First of all, it is the VF3, which seems to be the most anticipated, a small electric SUV like the Suzuki Jimny that the Vietnamese brand is announcing this model will be offered under $20,000.
However, if the latter wants to establish itself in the French market, it will almost be forced to show a price close to 20,000 euros, because it will not benefit from the environmental bonus.

Especially since European manufacturers have started to flex their muscles by announcing increasingly cheaper electric models.