Vietnamese automaker VinFast has revealed US prices for its VF 8 and VF 9 electric SUVs with battery subscription at the New York International Auto Show.
Expected to become available in the US in the second half of this year, the VinFast VF 8 and VF 9 will each be available with four battery choices, but the automaker will not include the battery price in the vehicle price. In order to make its products more accessible, VinFast will lease the battery for a monthly fee based on miles traveled.
The VF 8 will offer a base Eco battery in two versions, enabling a manufacturer-estimated range of up to 260 miles and 292 miles, respectively. Prices for the VF 8 Eco version 1 and VF 8 Eco version 2 start at $40,700 and $41,000, respectively.
There's also a Plus battery pack, also available as a version 1 and version 2, offering 248 miles and 277 miles of range, respectively. The VF 8 Plus starts at $47,700 with the battery version 1 and $48,000 with the version 2. Equipped with the Eco battery pack, the VF 8 can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in about 5.8 seconds, while the VF 8 Plus is slightly quicker at 5.3 seconds.
Gallery: VinFast VF 8 and VF 9 electric SUVs
The larger, three-row VF 9 SUV will offer a similar range of batteries: Eco version 1 and version 2 with 272 miles and 369 miles of range, respectively; and Plus version 1 and version 2 with 262 miles and 360 miles, respectively.
The VF 9 Eco has a starting price of $55,500 for the battery version 1 and $56,000 for the battery version 2. The VF 9 Plus starts at $60,500 with the battery version 1 and $61,000 with the battery version 2. Both the VF 9 Eco and VF 9 Plus models sprint from 0 to 60 mph in about 6.3 seconds.
VinFast says that models equipped with the battery version 1 will be available in the US in 2022, with version 2 following in 2023.
Two battery subscription plans for limited and unlimited mileage
After choosing their vehicle and battery configuration, customers will have to choose from two battery subscription plans called Flexible and Fixed. The former is designed for customers who travel infrequently and comes with a battery subscription fee of $35 for VF 8 and $44 for VF 9. Mind you, these fees only cover 310 miles of travel each month. From the 311st mile, the plan changes to a battery subscription fee per mile of about $0.11 for VF 8 and $0.15 for VF 9.
The Fixed battery subscription plan allows for unlimited range and comes with a monthly fee of $110 for the VF 8 and $160 for the VF 9. Customers who make a reservation and deposit for the VF 8 and VF 9 with the Fixed subscription plan will get these fees for the lifetime of their vehicle, and the plan will be automatically transferred to the new owner after the vehicle is sold.
VinFast also commits to provide a lifetime battery warranty covering all maintenance and repair costs, and will replace the battery for free when charging capacity dips below 70%.
The company will offer the VF 8 and VF 9 with a 100% battery subscription policy until the end of 2023. After that, VinFast will allow customers to either rent the battery or buy it outright. From 2024, VinFast plans to build the VF 8 and VF 9 at a new plant in Chatham County, North Carolina.
