VinFast VF Wild ute hits the road

The Aussie-designed VF Wild ute concept unveiled at CES in Las Vegas in January has hit the road, albeit in a short video, as Vietnamese car-maker VinFast moves toward production of the battery-electric dual-cab.

Slotting into the global mid-size pick-up segment that dominates the Australian market, led by the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux, the VF Wild was also recently shown at the Bangkok motor show in late March, when VinFast reaffirmed its intention to expand into at least 50 countries in 2024.

The company has yet to confirm timing for the Australian market, where VinFast still owns the former Holden proving ground at Lang Lang near Melbourne (it’s trying to sell it) but has closed its engineering and design operations.

However, a full range of right-hand drive passenger cars and SUVs were recently shown in Indonesia, where an assembly plant will be built to join others being fast-tracked in the US and India.

The Wild ute is a longer-term proposition, slated for production in 2026, but expectations are high and VinFast is continuing to highlight its potential with the latest video, released on social media by a senior sales planning executive in Vietnam.

In response to comments from the posting, VinFast is also maintaining that it hopes the ute will launch in key markets such as the Middle East “soon”.

The VF Wild ute concept was developed by VinFast in collaboration with Melbourne automotive design studio GoMotiv, which has also played a key role in the styling of the VF 5 and VF 6 EVs and the initial design concept of the VF 7 mid-size electric SUV.

There are few concrete details about the Wild, which VinFast claims is “a pick-up truck with exceptional performance, catering to the new generation of consumers looking for innovation and eco-friendliness without compromising on performance and durability”.

The concept measures 5324mm long and 1997mm wide, and VinFast claims it has the longest bed in the category, thanks to an ability to expand from 5ft to 8ft (1524mm to 2438mm) with a power-folding “mid-gate” at the bulkhead that can automatically drop the rear seats to extend load length.

The production VF Wild will line up against the forthcoming Toyota HiLux EV – due to commence production in Thailand late next year – and a full-electric version of the Isuzu D-MAX, both of which are expected to be launched in Australia.

A variety of other brands are also planning to introduce factory-built battery-powered mid-size utes and bigger pick-up trucks over the next few years, joining the sole local offering, the LDV eT60.

These include Geely’s Radar, EV versions of the incoming Kia Tasman and a related Hyundai model, an all-new LDV ute, and the bigger Rivian R1T and Tesla Cybertruck, to name a few.

The plug-in hybrid BYD Shark and a PHEV version of the Ford Ranger are also on their way, following the recent release of the mild-hybrid HiLux and full-hybrid GWM Cannon Alpha.

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