Motor Trend's Scott Evans summarized his review of the company's first product, the 2023 VinFast CF8 in three words: "Return to sender."
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"It's unfinished," Evans said. "The turn signals didn't always work properly. On the car that I drove, the blind spot warning system basically didn't work at all. The navigation system on the car I drove did not work at all."
Despite the negative review, UNC Kenan Institute Chief Economist Gerald Cohen said a lot more would have to happen than just an initial set of negative reviews to impact Chatham County's investment.
"It's not a great sign, but it's not going to have a meaningful impact over the next year or two," Cohen said. "These things take a long time. They're going to want to ramp up production, they're going to want to get this right. They're not making this investment because they want to fold up shop."
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Vinfast sent the following statement:
"We have received quite a few reviews for the VF 8 recently and most of them are balanced, noting that the vehicle has a stylish exterior, modern interior, solid performance and a wide range of advanced technology features. In addition to that, we gathered feedback on potential improvements from some of the journalists in attendance at the drive program. VinFast is constantly striving to improve and bring customers quality products and outstanding services."
Chatham Chamber of Commerce declined to comment on this story.
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