VinFast has filed a design patent in India for the VF3, its two-door electric micro-SUV, a sign that the Vietnamese manufacturer is considering a model well below the VF6 and VF7 SUVs it currently sells here. A design filing protects a vehicle's appearance and does not commit a company to a launch. VinFast has not given a timeline for the VF3.
The car made its global debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January 2024 and was later displayed at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 in New Delhi. The patent images show a boxy, upright body with square headlamps behind a closed-off grille, heavy bumpers and flared black wheel arches. The car rides on 16-inch wheels.
At 3,190 mm long, 1,679 mm wide and 1,620 mm tall, the VF3 is larger than the MG Comet EV, which measures 2,974 mm in length. It is still shorter than the Tata Tiago EV, at 3,769 mm. That places it at the compact end of India's electric car market, where those two models have shaped buyer expectations on size and price.
It’s likely to get a 10-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, automatic air-conditioning, cruise control and dual front airbags. The car is offered in Eco and Plus trims, both with a single motor. The targeted range is about 201 km on a full charge, a figure that has not been confirmed for India. Such a range is adequate for city use, which is the segment's main appeal.
The filing fits a pattern of steady groundwork. VinFast began local operations in September 2025 with the VF6 and VF7, both assembled at its Thoothukudi plant in Tamil Nadu. Production there began on August 4, 2025. The facility has an installed capacity of 1.5 lakh units a year. Assembling vehicles from imported kits lets the company avoid the heavy duties levied on fully built electric cars. A low-priced small car depends even more on that advantage, because its margins are thin.
Pham Sanh Chau, VinFast's chief executive for Asia, had earlier indicated that the VF3 could be the company's first locally manufactured electric vehicle in India. The brand has also reported crossing 1,000 cumulative sales in India roughly four months after entry, a modest base in a market led by Tata Motors, MG Motor and Mahindra.
For VinFast, a small, affordable model would widen its reach beyond buyers of mid-size electric SUVs. Its success would depend on pricing, charging access and the dealer and service network the company is still building.
