VinFast VF e35 and e36 EVs in Supercar Blondie vid

Last week, VinFast made its American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show with the world premiere of two electric vehicles – the VF e35 and VF e36. The SUVs will go on sale in North America and Europe starting next year, the Vietnamese carmaker said.

We obviously couldn’t be there for the reveal, but one person who was present is Alex Hirschi, better known as Supercar Blondie. She was able to get an up-close-and-personal look at the cars, showing off some of the design details – like the signature V-shaped front and rear lighting and the connection with design house Pininfarina – and sharing the headline figures.

To recap, the e35 is designed to compete with the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Volkswagen ID.4, while the e36 is a massive three-row BMW X7-sized model taking the Model X. Both models get a minimalist interior with a huge 15.4-inch centre touchscreen and no instrument cluster (a head-up display instead shows key information), with the e36’s third row of seats also just about visible in the video.

They will also get a full complement of cameras and sensors – including lidar – to provide Level 3 semi-autonomous driving capability. In terms of powertrains, the e35 and e36 are available with twin electric motors that provide all-wheel drive and a total system output of 300 kW (408 PS); the e35 can also be had as a cheaper single-motor version with 150 kW (204 PS).

Depending on the battery fitted, the e35 is capable of between 459 km and 499 km of range, while the e36 can do between 484 km and a massive 679 km on a single charge. Pre-orders start in the first half of 2022, with deliveries slated to kick off in the fourth quarter. According to Alex in the video, the company plans to open 60 dealerships in California alone.