VinFast VF8 and VF9 coming to Canada and Europe

You’d be forgiven if you thought the cast of Fast and Furious was coming to town near you. With the company name like VinFast and models called VF8 and VF9 it’s nearly impossible to contemplate that the company name is accidental. Points for creativity go to Vietnam, but the two SUVs have just made their debut in Canada and Europe.

In Canada the smaller VF8 starts at CA$50,850 with the top of the range model going for CA$59,750. The VF9 will set you back CA$69,150 for the Eco version and the 6 seater Plus option comes at CA$76,250.

In Europe the prices start at €43,050 for base Eco VF8 with the VF8 Plus costing €51,200 with the larger battery. The cheapest VF9 is €58,700 with the dearest option closing the price list at €64,100. That is very attractive pricing - when we take into account the size of the cars, the options, the range and the warranty. They are coming in the second half of this year with pre-orders already open.

Quick history of the company because it is as interesting as its name. VinFast opened the factory in Vietnam back in 2017 with a 90 percent automated production line and with a view of going global from the very start.

In 2018 first model Lux was shown at Paris Motor Show and in 2019 three models were officially launched - Lux A2.0 sedan, Lux SA2.0 SUV and a small city car Fadil, to keep the company busy on the Vietnamese market, VinFast launched three scooters as well.

2020 was a very busy year for the company with all the cars becoming best sellers in the country and in 2021 VinFast launched the first electric bus. We are only 5 months into 2022 and the company has released a new compact SUV for the local market called VF e34 and then proceeded with launching two larger, all-electric SUVs called VF8 and VF9 and destined for global markets. Now that was a busy 5 years.

VinFast VF8 is a medium sized SUV and comes in two versions - Eco and Plus. The first one has two range options - standard at either 420km (261 miles) or enhanced at 471km (293 miles), the power comes from two motors with 348hp (259kW) on tap powering both front and rear wheels.

The Plus version has slightly more power with 402hp (300kW) but it pays for it with a lower range of 400km (248 miles) in standard and 447 km (278 miles) in extended mode. The standard battery is 82kWh and the enhanced one comes at 87.7kWh.

VinFast VF9 at 5.12 meters length is quite a beast. It is a three row SUV with 402hp (300kW) and 619Nm (457lb-ft) of torque - clearly using the same AWD drivetrains as the smaller VF8 Plus.

The VF9 is available in Eco and Plus options as well but the difference is only in equipment levels. Range is either 272 miles with standard battery or 369 miles (437km or 594km) with the larger one, the Plus version pays an additional penalty of 10 miles less range, most likely due to bigger wheels and more equipment. The standard battery is 92kWh with the extended range battery pack coming at sizable 123kWh.

Initially the battery will be offered as a subscription service costing €120 in Europe for VF8 and €150 for the VF9, the same service in Canada comes at CA$139 and CA$153 respectively. There’s an option to pay less in Canada if the vehicle is driven no more than 500km (310 miles) per month - CA$39 for VF8 and CA$45 for VF9, unfortunately Europe doesn’t get this option.

In exchange for the subscription VinFast guarantees to replace the battery if it falls below 70% capacity within 10 years or 125,000 miles (200,000km). Charging times are quoted as 25 minutes for standard and 35 minutes for extended range battery but for charging from 0 to 70 percent.

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