The VinFast VF 8 City Edition was a disaster in the making as it started at US$ 55,500 and only offered 288 km of range. The range fell far short of competitors and the company promised a software update would help alleviate the issue. It appears to have arrived as VinFast says the VF 8 Eco City Edition now has an EPA estimated range of up to 333 km on a single charge. The company didn’t elaborate, but that’s a 45 km improvement. The good news doesn’t end there as VinFast slashed pricing as the VF 8 Eco City Edition falls from US$ 55,500 to US$ 49,000. Likewise, the VF 8 Plus City Edition now starts at US$ 56,000 instead of US$ 62,500.
That being said, the aforementioned
pricing excludes a US$ 3,000 City Edition discount as well as a US$ 1,200
destination fee. It’s also worth noting
the reduced pricing is accompanied by a cheaper lease as customers can get the
VF 8 Eco City Edition for US$ 519 per month with US$ 6,314 down.
Even with the increased range and reduced
pricing, the VF 8 City Edition is a questionable value. Tesla’s recent price cut has seen the Model Y
Dual-Motor Long Range drop to US$ 53,490 before a US$ 1,390 destination
fee. That means there’s only US$ 7,680
separating the 531 km, Tesla from the VF 8 Eco City Edition when you
factor in destination fees and the City Edition discount. That’s still a
sizable difference, but the VinFast is much slower as its dual-motor all-wheel
drive system develops 349 hp and only allows for a 0-100 km/h time of approximately 6.5 seconds.
Things get even worse when you look at the
402 hp VF 8 Plus City Edition. It effectively costs US$ 54,200 which is only
US$ 680 cheaper than the aforementioned Model Y that begins at US$ 54,880 when
you factor in the destination fee.
Despite the similar pricing, the VF 8 is slower and offers far less
range.
