Automotive Engineering - March 2024 - 12

TECHNOLOGY REPORT
CONCEPTS
Vinfast: New concept, award for MirrorSense
VinFast used its third appearance at the
Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to
introduce three new electric vehicles, including
a midsize pickup truck concept and a
small CUV bound for the U.S. The Vietnamese
automaker said it will begin selling the twodoor
VF 3 and the DrgnFly electric bicycle in
the U.S. The two-wheeler will be available
later in the first quarter of 2024, and a
VinFast spokesperson confirmed to SAE
Media that the VF 3 will be available in the
U.S. but did not say when it would go on sale.
The VF 3 will be available in Vietnam in the
third quarter of 2024. VinFast currently sells
one vehicle in the U.S., the electric VF 8 SUV.
The Wild is VinFast's first new pick-up
truck design and, as a concept, technical details
are slim. They include the Wild's exterior
dimensions - 209 inches (5324 mm) long and
79 inches (1997 mm) wide - and the fact that
a power-folding mid-gate increased the bed length from 60
to 96 inches (1524 to 2438 mm). When the mid-gate is engaged,
the rear seats can fold down automatically. All four
seats in the Wild's Alcantara interior can be shifted forward
and backward on an integrated rail system. The infotainment
system uses an updated interface.
VinFast developed the Wild concept with help from
When the power-folding mid-gate is down, the Wild's bed length goes from 60 to 96 inches
(1524 to 2438 mm).
Australian design studio Gomitiv with what the automaker
calls a " Fluid Dynamism " aesthetic. VinFast previously worked
with Pininfarina for its VF 8 and VF 9 SUVs. Sean Ackley,
VinFast's head of charging and energy, said the Wild's design
was inspired by the movement of a superhero's cape in the
wind. The concept has four doors, including two rear-hinged
doors in back. Black wheel arches are echoed by design
touches in the cabin.
Small and boxy: the VF 3
The VF 3 was designed with Vietnamese drivers in mind. The
small, two-door EV is approximately 123 inches (3,114 mm)
long, but VinFast claims it has " sufficient interior space to accommodate
up to five people. " The VF 3 fits in with VinFast's
other EVs, including buses, scooters, bikes and larger SUVs.
The company has built up its own EV charging infrastructure
in Vietnam, is building an EV manufacturing facility in North
Carolina, and has announced it will build production facilities
in India and Indonesia. Speaking at CES 2024, VinFast's chairwoman
of the Board of Directors (and former CEO) Le Thi Thu
Thuy said the company's vehicles are built with a mission.
" At VinFast, we envision a green future where everybody
can access and enjoy sustainable transportation, " she said.
" We strongly believe that electric mobility can belong to everyone,
and it doesn't need to be linked to a social status,
age, income or gender. As you have heard us say many, many
times, our mission is to make EVs accessible to everyone. "
The VinFast Wild truck concept uses rear-hinged doors for back
seat passengers.
12 March 2024
Tech award
VinFast's MirrorSense was named a CES 2024 Innovation
Award honoree. Ackley said that MirrorSense is the first commercially
available AI-powered auto mirror adjustment feature
and could be integrated into any smart vehicle with a
driver monitoring system camera. Jointly developed by
VinFast and VinAI, another member company of the VinGroup
that specializes in AI technology, MirrorSense " can precisely
detect the driver's head and eye gaze within 10 millimeters of
accuracy and automatically adjust all mirrors, " he said. The
MirrorSense technology could be extended to automatically
adjust seat settings or head-up displays, VinFast said.
Sebastian Blanco
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
BOTH IMAGES: SAE/CHRIS CLONTS
Automotive Engineering - March 2024

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