• VinFast introduced four models oriented for fleet, taxicab and livery services in Vietnam: The Minio Green, Herio Green, Nerio Green and Limo Green.
• The Minio Green is a small city car meant to replace your motorcycle.
• The Minio Green can travel up to 111 miles (180 km) on one charge. It has a top speed of 52 mph (85 km/h). 

It’s been a hellish past few weeks. The news cycle has been unending, and I don’t know a single writer, journalist or editor who hasn’t experienced sheer exhaustion with keeping up with it. Case in point: VinFast introduced four new cars last month, and we all kind of missed it. 

All featuring the suffix “green,” these four cars are new entries into Vietnam’s budding EV market. VinFast is clear that these cars are less oriented toward consumers, but exist as entrants into Vietnam’s fleet and livery market. Two of the cars are rebadged and updated existing models in VinFast’s fleet, while the other two are wholly new cars. The most interesting (and cutest) is the Minio Green, a tiny car that VinFast says would be “good for city services.”

This dinky city car would slot underneath the already tiny VF3, which is an SUV-styled city car. While the VF3’s mini-Jeep-like styling swayed most of us over, the Minio Green’s super cute Kei Car-like demeanor manages to be just as charming as its tougher cousin. The Minio Green is smaller and slower than the VF3, too. The car’s 26-horsepower motor is quite a bit smaller than the 38-hp VF3 powertrain, as is its top speed of 52 mph (85 km/h). Still, the car can DC fast charge, albeit at a max speed of 12 kW. AC charging is limited to 3.3 kW. VinFast says the Minio Green can go 111 miles (180 km) from a battery of undisclosed size. 

According to some reporting by Soha.vn, the whole country is undergoing a sort of renaissance with regards to transportation. Cars like the Minio Green are meant to serve as alternatives to motorbikes, in places where motorbikes are commonly used as taxis. Small EVs like the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV are serving as popular replacements in Vietnam, so it was only natural for VinFast to respond with its own home-grown alternative.

Photo by: Vinfast

VinFast announced three other models meant to launch in January, too. The Herio Green and Nerio Green are altered versions of the VF 5 and e34 respectively. At the top of the line is the VinFast Limo Green; a seven-seat EV designed for livery transport. 

There is something to be said about VinFast continuing to create vehicles for the markets it operates in. While other brands are faltering on the EV front, VinFast has continued to press onward. The cars might not be very good, but perhaps with time and effort, they’ll one day get there. The Minio Green or VF3 may never leave Vietnam, but the lessons learned here could probably make for a better VF8. 

Hopefully sooner rather than later, though.

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