Our independent experts test the best in cars, tech, home, outdoors, style and watches. We combine hands-on testing, decades of experience and original photography to craft reports, reviews and guides. But the reviews we’ve read have been perhaps the most brutal we’ve seen for a modern car. Motortrend called the VF8 “nowhere near ready for public consumption.” Inside EVs described riding in the VF8 as “unbearable.” These are not exactly promising signs.
The City Edition has the same performance numbers as the standard VF 8, but VinFast says the VF 8 will have a longer range than the VF 8 City Edition. The VF 8 has EPA estimated range numbers of 264 miles for the Eco trim and 243 miles for the Plus model. For the City Edition, those range numbers drop to 207 miles for Eco and 191 miles for Plus.
The first car on sale is the VF8, a midsize, five-seater crossover. An early VF8 city edition achieved around 200 miles of range with less sophisticated battery tech. Using the VF8 Plus example at $299 per month, if we rolled in the almost $,1400 in acquisition fees into the payment we are at $339 per month on a car with a retail price of $53,125 this works out to a payment to MSRP ratio of 0.6 percent. Given the context these payments almost seem too good to be true. We’ve only driven a pre-production model of the VF 8, and only very briefly, in Vietnam.
Actual MSRP depending on the build, may vary and could affect your monthly lease payment. Cash due at signing includes a $3,500 capitalized cost reduction, $499 first month’s payment, $695 acquisition fee, 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.
- 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.
- The company recently announced it is investing $2 billion in a factory in North Carolina.
- This low-speed cruise control reduces driver stress in heavy traffic that occasionally comes to a halt.
- VinFast is also taking reservations on the VF9, a flagship, three-row, 7-seater crossover that delivers up to 330 miles of range with a starting price of $83,000.
VinFast is a Vietnamese car company that’s looking to stake a claim in the global EV landscape. One of its first offerings in the U.S. is the VinFast VF 8, a stylish electric 5-seat SUV. It benefits from a stand-out design, a standard dual-motor powertrain, and a long warranty. Monday, just two weeks after its debut on the Nasdaq Global Select Market with a share trading signals price of $10 and a valuation of $23 billion following a merger with Black Spade Acquisition Co. in a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) deal. VinFast’s cars are already popular and sought-after in Vietnam, and are a point of pride there. In the United States, VinFast’s long-term success is still a question mark, as it is still getting up and running.
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Without batteries, the VF8 and VF9 start at just over $42,000 and $57,500; the battery subscriptions are priced at $169 per month for the VF8 and $219 per month for the larger VF9. The VinFast VF 8 gets up to 264 miles of range for the standard model and up to 207 miles for the City Edition. Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class.
Will VinFast and its parent make more than just cars in the United States?
Starting in 2024, buyers will have the option to buy the battery with the vehicle, but the company has not yet outlined prices. Images and videos shown contain pre-production level vehicles. VinFast’s design language blends sporty curves, luxurious strokes, and formidable
presence, all while optimizing performance, functionality, and elegant simplicity. Founded in 2007, Gear Patrol is the definitive buying guide for enthusiasts.
VinFast went public through a reverse merger with Black Spade Acquisition Co., a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) based in Hong Kong. SPAC mergers, also known as “blank check” mergers, were a popular way for startups to go public during the pandemic. But as the financial market declined in 2022, dealmaking slowed significantly. In 2021, 610 companies went public through SPAC mergers and raised a total of $161 billion, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. There were only 16 such deals in the first half of 2023, according to the White & Case US SPACs Data Hub. 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.
Who owns VinFast?
According to the advertisement you can lease a VF 8 Eco with an MSRP of $47,325 for $249 per month with $0 down or a VF8 Plus with an MSRP of $53,125 for $299 per month with $0 down. Naturally, the fine print says that taxes and fees are not included. There is a $695 “acquisition tax” and a $698 administrative/documentation fee due at signing in addition to any tax and registration fees. This is for a 36-month lease, with an allocated total mileage of 30,000.
Combined output of these two motors is up to 402 horsepower and 472 lb-ft of torque. The Eco models get longer range but reduced performance numbers. These are manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP) and don’t include the $1,200 factory-to-dealer delivery fee (destination charge). The 2023 VinFast VF 8 is a new electric SUV from a Vietnamese automaker new to the U.S.
As of the end of September, VinFast had about 58,000 worldwide reservations for the two models. For now, all VinFasts are made at the company’s factory in Haiphong; it hopes to have its U.S. factory, with a capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year, up and running by July 2024. The VF 8 has a clean interior design so minimalist that it doesn’t have an instrument cluster in front of the driver. This might take some getting used to, but many generations of Prius drivers did just that. The center stack carries a sizeable 15.6-inch touchscreen and gear shift buttons for an uncluttered look. Overall, the VF 8’s passenger cabin features materials and design commensurate with the vehicle’s price tag.
VinFast was founded in 2017 as a subsidiary of Vingroup, a major Vietnamese conglomerate. Both companies are founded and chaired by Pham Nhat Vuong, Vietnam’s richest https://bigbostrade.com/ person. Vuong, 55, is estimated to be worth $22 billion, according to Forbes. His fortune rose to $39 billion on Tuesday thanks to VinFast’s stock surge.
The small print: allowed 10,000 miles per year, down payment varies
VinFast EVs are built with premium craftsmanship and high-quality parts designed for safety, reliability, and comfort on every journey. VinFast’s EVs are equipped with human-centered tech that seamlessly improves the driving experience by focusing on you. Fleetingly the world’s third-most valuable automaker, Vietnam’s new EV manufacturer is coming to America.