Just starting its commercialization in the United States, the new VinFast VF8 reveals its approved autonomy. And this one is more than disappointing, especially against his rivals.
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Article updated on January 31, 2023: According to the US media. electric, the update of the VinFast VF8 drastically improves the approved autonomy. This increases from 179 miles (approximately 288 km) to 207 miles (approximately 333 km). The other good surprise is a price drop as the VF 8 drops from $59,000 to $56,000, with an additional $3,000 off. A new version of VF 8, City Edition, is offered starting at $49,000. Increases to $46,000 with additional discount.
In France, for the moment, VinFast has not yet lowered the prices of its VF 8.
Original article, December 23, 2022 : If you haven’t heard of VinFast yet, chances are you’ll be hearing a lot about it in the years to come. Founded in 2018, the young Vietnamese brand is starting to develop well, but above all to be exported to the whole world. And especially in Europe, while the manufacturer was present at the last Paris Motor Show in October. VinFast will then have difficulties to face its new rivals, because in addition to having to rub shoulders with Tesla, the firm will also have to deal with the arrival of many Chinese brands, such as Nio, Xpeng or BYD. This worries specialists a lot.
a little disappointment
Among the vehicles present at the VinFast stand in Paris, today it is the VF8 that is making headlines. And it is not for less, the electric SUV is finally about to start its commercialization in the United States, while the authorities have validated it its approval for the American market. Very good news for the brand, headed by Benjamin DeLuca, who was also present at CES in Las Vegas with his VF5, VF6 and VF7.
Therefore, the first deliveries will begin in California at the end of the month, with the release version called VF8 City Edition. Limited to 999 copies, it is then exhibited from 59,000 dollars, the equivalent of 55,636 euros. A price that is in the middle of the segment.
But there is still a small drawback, as the site explains. carcoops. Precisely, the US agency in charge of the approval of the SUV has established its official autonomy, according to the EPA cycle. This one of the closest to reality. It differs significantly from the European WLTP in the test protocol. And the least we can say is that the result is not really up to expectations.
In fact, the electric SUV later claims a very disappointing autonomy of only 288 kilometers. Suffice it to say that it is very little, especially since although the approval cycle is severe, it is generally carried out under quite favorable conditions. In reality, and depending on the weather conditions, this figure could drop considerably. This is especially the case in winter, when the cold is the number one enemy of electric cars.
next update
So there’s nothing to worry about for Tesla, while the Model Y shows nothing less than 455 kilometers in its standard version Propulsion according to the WLTP cycle. And up to 565 kilometers in its Long Autonomy variant. All for a more affordable price, since The electric SUV starts at 49,990 euros. Suffice to say that the VinFast VF8 still has a lot of work to do to compete with the best-selling American brand.
However, the Vietnamese SUV was quite promising, while the brand’s website advertises a range of between 400 and 471 km depending on the version. However, an asterisk specifies on the French site that ” all indicated values are preliminary values established in the WLTP method. The final values will only be available once the homologation of the vehicle has been granted, which is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2022.« .
If we should not wait for a miracle, VinFast explains thatan update is planned for January, without specifying whether it will be remote or not. This should noticeably improve the range of the electric SUV, which is available in two versions, from 260 and 300 kW (ie 348 and 402 horsepower). The WLTP autonomy is announced at 400 kilometers, but therefore we will have to wait before having the heart network. Last September, the Asian brand announced that the first French models would begin deliveries at the end of the year.
In France, the VinFast VF8 starts from 46,050 euros and therefore is entitled to the ecological bonus of 6,000 euros for little. A price that does not include the rental of the battery, which will cost you 120 euros per month. However, it will be possible to buy the latter for good, for a price that has not yet been announced. A strategy reminiscent of Nio’s, which also offers battery rental, compatible with its exchange stations to recharge them in just five minutes.
The Vietnamese car manufacturer VinFast lands in Europe. We were lucky to be among the first to drive the future VF8 SUV. It is 100% electric and has an approach inspired by that…
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