Sign up here to find out more about the exceptional features crafted into every VinFast, and our mission to drive the world to switch to electric vehicles. For starters, the 2023 VinFast VF 8 is the right vehicle at the right time. North America’s compact electric crossover SUV segment is rapidly blooming, and this five-seat model is sized and designed to establish a beachhead in the heart of this emerging market.
VinFast Returns to Vancouver for Everything Electric EV Show
Cash due at signing includes $529 first month’s payment, $695 acquisition fee, $2,000 in down payment and $0 security deposit. Lessee responsible for insurance during the lease term, excess wear and tear as defined in the lease contract, $0.25/mile over 20,000 miles, plus disposition fee of up to $395 (not to exceed an amount permissible by law) at lease end. Not all customers will qualify for a security deposit waiver. Tax, title, license, registration, and dealer fees are additional fees due at signing. Through September 30, 2024, lease offer is available on the new 2024 VinFast VF 9 Plus model leased through VinFast Auto, LLC (offer subject to change based upon availability).
Additional miles cost $0.11 per mile in the VF 8 and $0.15 in the VF 9. These features are not functional in the test vehicles I’m sampling. Further, attempts to cajole the voice control into opening and closing the panoramic moonroof meet with limited success, and when I tell the virtual assistant I am cold, it raises the temperature by a single, miserly digit. A subsequent attempt sees the system jump directly from 65 to 90 degrees. If VinFast delivers all of the conveniences it claims it will, the VF 8 ought to have an extremely competitive feature set. While CNET isn’t normally in the habit of test-driving prototypes from startups, there’s ample reason to believe VinFast will buck the trend and find success.
Our test model needed further tuning, especially with initial throttle application, but these are relatively easy modulations. VinFast worked daily chart trading strategies with famous Italian design house Pininfarina on the models. If Pininfarina was good enough for Ferrari, it’s certainly good enough for this fledgling automaker. VinFast builds its vehicles in Vietnam, at least for now. We had a chance to tour VinFast’s factories, and they are indeed state of the art. They are also nearly brand new, built from scratch in less than two years’ time.
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Further, regenerative braking was notable by its absence. VinFast engineers say a one-pedal drive model is under development and will likely be released to early vehicles via an over-the-air update. These sorts of experiences are relatively common in early prototype vehicles, but given that VinFast plans to hand over production models to expectant owners in a little over six months, engineers clearly have their work cut out for them. At 187 inches long, 74.8 inches wide and 65.4 inches tall, the VF 8 is the same length as a Tesla Model Y and only around an inch separates their width and height.
VinFast offers a wide range of options for all Canadians. Of course, simply delivering those vehicles on time isn’t enough for a company with VinFast’s vast ambitions. Even before the company has sold a single vehicle in the US, officials have already announced plans for a multibillion-dollar EV plant and battery factory outside of Raleigh, North Carolina. The brand quickly followed this news by disclosing it has filed for a US IPO. Buyers who drive fewer than about 1,000 miles per month might opt to lease the battery at $35 per month for the VF 8 or $44 for the VF 9, which covers 310 miles of range per month.
However, VinFast does not appear to be selling many vehicles so far. The company recently revealed that 7,100 of its 11,300 global sales in the first half of 2023 were to Green and Smart Mobility, a Vietnamese taxi firm controlled by Vingroup. Images and videos shown contain pre-production level vehicles. It’s a tough game, for sure, and automaking in general is not for the weak or short-funded. For every Tesla or even Lucid, there are multiple brands that have failed or merely teeter on the brink of bringing electrified cars to life, touting grandiose plans but never making them happen. Instead it is following what other EV startups such as Tesla and Rivian are doing by selling directly to customers.
In fact, they’re not even operating on the same development software versions, and many of the vehicles’ software functions… Combine that with a makeshift drive loop that’s perhaps a couple of kilometers long, and it’s all but impossible to draw concrete conclusions about whether or not this EV belongs on your shopping list. Having said that, what my drive points out clearly is the promise baked into the VF 8. There’s a lot of work to be done in a very short time, but critically, the fundamental ingredients are all present.
In the United States, VinFast’s long-term success is still a question mark, as it is still getting up and running. In the short term, however, VinFast appears to be a serious player. The company says it has 55,000 reservations for its EVs worldwide, but hasn’t given a breakdown of how many of those are from the U.S. Anecdotally, on our trip with VinFast to Vietnam, we met several U.S. and Canadian customers who have put down deposits on multiple VinFast vehicles and were invited by the company as VIPs.
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Engineered for safety, reliability, and comfort on every journey. learn how to buy sell or trade bonds With the VinFast App, customers have access to VinFast products and service features. Customers can access vehicle data, control their vehicle remotely, get around with navigation features, book maintenance, and roadside assistance. State-of-the-art technology and unrivaled interior space combined with stunning Pininfarina design create a one-of-a-kind vehicle, the VinFast VF 8.
I say “strangely” because the separate ranges and prices aren’t well differentiated. For the base Eco Battery Version 1, the company is targeting 260 miles on Europe’s more-lenient WLTP test cycle at a cost of $40,700 (plus a yet-to-be determined destination fee). The enhanced-range Battery Version 2 Eco is slated hammer candlestick formation in technical analysis to deliver 292 miles for $41, just $300 more. The more luxurious (and consequently heavier) VF 8 Plus is expected to achieve 248 miles of range in Battery Version 1 guise ($47,700) and 277 miles in its $48,000 Battery Version 2 spec. US mileage estimates on the EPA’s more-stringent test cycle figure to be somewhat lower.
First off, the “Vin” naming is consistent with VinGroup in general, which also has units such as VinSchool (education), VinHomes (yes, houses), VinBus (mass-transit buses), and even VinBrain (focusing on artificial intelligence). Anyhow, the “Fast” in VinFast is actually an acronym, and roughly translated its letters in Vietnamese mean style, safety, creativity, and pioneering. VinFast has already succeeded in making the first two of those hurdles a reality, and that third and hardest task appears quite doable from what we’ve seen so far into this automaker’s brief but impressive existence. Kelley Blue Book® Values and pricing are based in part on transactions in your area.
- More to the point, Vingroup also appears to have a slew of helpful related technologies in its portfolio, including divisions focused on AI, cybersecurity and cloud computing.
- Anecdotally, on our trip with VinFast to Vietnam, we met several U.S. and Canadian customers who have put down deposits on multiple VinFast vehicles and were invited by the company as VIPs.
- My drive is limited to quick acceleration blasts up and down a road between factory buildings, with a U-turn on one end and a keyhole loop return on the other.
- Lessee responsible for insurance during the lease term, excess wear and tear as defined in the lease contract, $0.25/mile over 20,000 miles, plus disposition fee of up to $395 (not to exceed an amount permissible by law) at lease end.
- The next couple of years will be busy for the Vietnamese automaker.
How have the reviews been for VinFast cars so far?
Unless you are among the earliest adopters of electric vehicle (EV) tech or a serious car fanatic, you’ve probably never even heard of VinFast. With exceptional after-sales services, a 10-year car warranty, and considerable plug-and-charge solutions for VF 8 vehicles with access to charging solutions with Level 2 AC and Level 3 DC fast charging across the nation. With a tremendous range, lightning-fast charging speeds, and access to more than 100,000 public chargers throughout North America, the VinFast SUV offers great range for every journey ahead. Explore available charging solutions with Level 2 AC and Level 3 DC fast charging using the VinFast app ahead of your drive. Even before the company has sold a single vehicle in the US, officials have already and battery factory outside of Raleigh, North Carolina. It will be interesting to see if officials can reach their self-appointed on-sale deadline, and it will be telling if the company manages to deliver a quality product right out of the gates — with or without most of the features it’s promising.
What cars does VinFast sell?
Its dashboard is dominated by a landscape-oriented 15-inch infotainment touchscreen. There’s a color head-up display, but notably, there’s no traditional gauge cluster — you either look at the HUD or glance at the main screen to see how fast you’re going. The center console is dominated by a push-button gear selector, and the three-spoke steering wheel’s most noteworthy feature is a tiny driver-facing camera atop the column, a hint that VinFast plans to offer some kind of hands-free driving assist. It’s too early to judge the VF 8’s fit and finish, as there are some preproduction and ill-fitting parts in evidence (including a power seat controller wired in reverse).
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