The American car market is a difficult one to crack; just ask VinFast. In the three years since it started selling EVs locally, it’s delivered a few thousand of them, and it’s also had to slash the number of dealerships it operates across the country. Despite this, VinFast isn’t ready to give up on the US.

The Vietnamese company initially launched in California, before expanding into other states throughout 2024 and 2025. At one point, it said it had secured agreements with 38 dealers across the country, but as of the end of 2025, it was operating fewer than two dozen dealerships. Things aren’t looking good.

Read: VinFast Sold Less Than 1,500 Cars In The US, So Naturally It’s Building A Factory

Then there’s the sales. Through the first seven months of this year, VinFast sold just 389 vehicles, a 63 percent decline from the previous year. To put that into perspective, Rivian sold 12,613 vehicles in the second quarter alone, and its vehicles are much pricier than VinFast’s. Things are so bad for VinFast that average incentives on the VF 8 sit at $19,000 per vehicle, while average incentives on the larger VF 9 are almost $20,000. It would seem the writing is on the wall for the brand.

VinFast Isn’t Going Anywhere

However, VinFast insists it isn’t going anywhere. It has secured franchise agreements for dealerships in Tustin, California, Redondo Beach, California, and one in Philadelphia. VinFast North America chief executive Brian Finnerty says the brand has a long-term commitment to the US.

“Our vision is clear: VinFast is continuing to build for the next phase of growth by investing in the customer experience, strengthening our team, continuously enhancing our products, policies, and sales and service network,” he said. “These new dealerships will ensure customers can access comprehensive sales, maintenance, and warranty support right in their local communities. This is more than an expansion of our network. It is a long-term commitment by VinFast to the U.S. market as we enter our next chapter of growth.”

This all sounds very good, but VinFast dealerships are still selling 2024 VF 9 and 2025 VF 8 models, underscoring how hard it’s proving to be for dealerships to sell these EVs.

Ambitious plans to establish a factory in the US have also been delayed multiple times. Initially, this plant in North Carolina was scheduled to start building vehicles in mid-2024, but earlier this year, VinFast pushed that date back to 2028.

VinFast had grand ambitions, but things didn’t go according to plan. However, the company isn’t giving up and recently hinted their new microcar could eventually come to Europe and the United States.

In a meandering press release, VinFast Canada said the “microcar is quietly making a comeback.” They went on to note the success of the Citroën Ami and Fiat Topolino, the latter of which is now available in America.

More: Stellantis’ Cheapest New Vehicle In America Is A $14K Fiat You Can’t Take On The Highway

The company then pivoted to the VF 2, which is their smallest model. The two-door, four-seater measures 121.7 inches (3,090 mm) long, 58.9 inches (1,496 mm) wide, and 65.5 inches (1,663 mm) tall with a wheelbase that spans 81.3 inches (2,065 mm). To put those numbers into perspective, the Fiat 500e is over 21.3 inches (540 mm) longer.

While the VF 2 is tiny, it only costs $7,214 (đ188 million) in Vietnam, which is “roughly as much as a premium motorcycle.” Despite the bargain basement pricing, the company noted the model has LED headlights, air conditioning, a 7-inch display, and 13-inch alloy wheels. They’re joined by a handful of safety features including a driver’s airbag, anti-lock brakes, and a traction control system.

Power comes from an 18.3 kWh battery pack, which feeds a rear-mounted motor developing 40 hp (30 kW / 41 PS) and 48 lb-ft (65 Nm) of torque. This enables the car to have an NEDC range of up to 130 miles (210 km). When the battery is low, a 24 kW DC fast charger can take it from 10% to 70% in approximately 34 minutes.

Those numbers aren’t very impressive, but VinFast noted they’d be perfect for the “urban commuter who drives alone.” That’s a relatively niche market, but a super cheap car certainly has some appeal, even if the top speed is limited to 50 mph (80 km/h).

While the automaker acknowledged they haven’t announced plans to bring the VF 2 to North America or Europe, they added such a decision “would not be entirely out of place.” The company went on to say that, “In many developed markets, even entry-level vehicles have become increasingly expensive, with the average new vehicle selling for more than $50,000 by the end of last year.” This suggests they see a place for something far cheaper.

The company went on to imply the VF 2 could follow in the footsteps of the Topolino and be positioned as an alternative to golf carts for neighborhood transportation. As they noted, “Walk through many newly developed residential communities in the world today, and it is no longer unusual to see golf carts being driven well beyond the golf course. Their popularity suggests there is demand for small, simple vehicles designed primarily for short urban trips.”