Forget the Fiat Golf Cart, VinFast City Car Costs $7,150 and Has Twice the Range!

Vietnamese automaker VinFast has unveiled a tiny electric city car, the VF2, priced at about $7,150. It's a small, two-door, four-seat car meant to compete with motorcycles in crowded urban markets, offering a safer, more comfortable alternative for short city trips. It's basic by design: air conditioning, a 7-inch digital instrument display, four-way adjustable driver's seat, two speakers, FM radio, and a single driver's airbag, with no other modern extras.

The VF2 has a top speed of 50 mph, so it's not built for highway driving. It gets about 130 miles of range on a full charge and can charge from 10 to 70 percent in 34 minutes, which counts as reasonably quick for a car this small and cheap.

This car isn't expected to be sold in the United States, so it has no direct bearing on home energy upgrades or rebates. It's worth noting mainly as a sign of how far bare-bones electric vehicles have come in price and range in other parts of the world, and a point of comparison for anyone tracking the low end of the EV market, including small commuter cars that might eventually influence home charging needs if similar models ever arrive stateside.