2026 VinFast VF 8 Release Date, Specs, Review – We examine the company’s debut vehicle, an all-electric SUV, and learn more about the worldwide impact of this emerging American automaker. Future electric vehicle manufacturers are popping up everywhere as a result of Tesla’s historic triumph and the promise of electric, autonomous mobility in the future. It is evident that the floodgates have opened since more firms have been established in the past 10 years than at any previous point since the invention of the vehicle.
The majority of people have already learned the hard way that manufacturing cars is a really bad way to earn money. Cars are subject to the most international laws and regulations as they are the most complicated consumer commodities in the world. Additionally, they are highly expensive to produce and sell. Based on all the facts, the vast majority of intenders will fail before delivering even one automobile.
I would bet on VinFast, a young Vietnamese startup, to win in spite of these terrible circumstances. In reality, there are a number of reasons to think that the business would not only survive but also swiftly become well-known around the world, especially in America. I make this statement after taking a plane to Asia to research the business and take a test drive of the 2026 VF 8 electric SUV, which will be the first vehicle to arrive in the US. My excursion soon became more of a test drive for VinFast than for its upcoming tiny crossover that runs on batteries.
Even though my brief experience with VinFast’s electric future was in a preproduction prototype, you won’t have to wait long to get a VF 8—the first cars are expected to be in US driveways by the end of the year. Before 2026, the youthful carmaker even intends to introduce the VF 9 EV, a sleek three-row vehicle that will be the first of its bigger siblings. Despite these lofty objectives, the company has a track record of achieving the seemingly unachievable, in part because of its leadership group of seasoned business professionals.
Just 21 months after VinFast was founded in 2017, three distinct passenger vehicles were being produced at a sizable, state-of-the-art production plant in Haiphong, about two hours east of Hanoi. The achievement cannot be emphasized, despite the fact that those early vehicles were obviously highly reliant on technology acquired from other automakers, especially BMW. 2026 VinFast VF 8 Release Date
2026 VinFast VF 8 Redesign and Update Plan
Exterior & Interior
First of all, the 2026 VinFast VF 8 is the ideal car at the ideal moment. The goal of this five-seater vehicle is to gain traction in the quickly growing North American market for compact electric crossover SUVs. It’s important to remember that it took decades for Japanese automakers, such as Honda and Toyota, to build cars that would be able to appeal to the great majority of Americans, much alone have a marketable style. This method may seem clear-cut and easy. This also applies to Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia, which, to be honest, finished the procedure faster.
The VF 8 has a modern appearance thanks to its V-shaped grille, integrated daytime running lights that display the brand’s symbol, and standard LED illumination. The nose is the most expressive and somewhat contentious feature of the exterior, regardless of how you feel about the face. However, the design won’t deter most customers. The VF 8 is somewhat unattractive from a profile; the tapering depression along the bottoms of the doors and the slanted rear window are its most distinctive features.
The VF 8 has a fairly contemporary interior. A 15-inch infotainment touchscreen that faces landscape mode takes up most of the dashboard. Notably, a color head-up display has taken the role of the conventional gauge cluster. As an alternative, your speed could be displayed on the main screen or HUD.
A push-button gear selector dominates the center console, and the most notable aspect of the three-spoke steering wheel is a small driver-facing camera mounted on the column, suggesting VinFast intends to provide hands-free driving assistance. Because of several preproduction issues and poorly fitting parts (such a power seat controller installed in reverse), it is too early to evaluate the VF 8’s fit and finish.
Interestingly, VinFast’s success is mostly a result of its ability to provide a wide range of integrated services and entertainment features, including the ability to play games and movies on the main screen, an e-commerce tool, and a sentry mode. Do you sound like this? The test cars that I’m looking at don’t have these features. In addition, the voice control for the panoramic sunroof is difficult for me to use, and when I tell the virtual assistant that I’m chilly, it just slightly adjusts the temperature. On the second try, the system jumps straight from 65 to 90 degrees. The VF 8 should have an extremely competitive feature set if VinFast lives up to the expectations.
The VF 8 is the same length as a Tesla Model Y, being 187 inches in length, 74.8 inches in width, and 65.4 inches in height. Their heights and widths are little more than an inch apart. Strangely, head engineer Huy Chieu says the business recently compared the driving performance of the VF 8 to that of Hyundai’s superb Ioniq 5 EV, which is a great example. Chieu, who started his career at General Motors in the late 1990s, just joined VinFast along with several of his colleagues executives after decades of working for renowned corporations.
Crucially, VinFast has seasoned industry experts capable of designing and producing a large number of automobiles at every level of the business. We won’t know whether Chieu and colleagues have been successful with the dynamics and technology of the VF 8 until it is in final production, despite the fact that it is evident that engineers are constantly improving the vehicle’s performance as it approaches production. 2026 VinFast VF 8 Release Date
2026 VinFast VF 8 Specs
Engine & Performance
There are still further reasons to think VinFast will succeed and beyond expectations, even if doesn’t frequently test-drive startup prototypes. To begin with, this business has the resources to do the job. Amusement parks, hospitals, luxurious resorts, and even enormous housing estates that mimic entire towns with skyscrapers and shopping malls are all owned and run by Vingroup, a huge Vietnamese corporation.
More importantly, Vingroup’s portfolio seems to include a range of useful allied technologies, such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence departments. To support local talent, the organization even began the process of starting from scratch to create a new institution. All of this demonstrates that this corporation not only has the means to establish itself as a major force in the global auto industry, but it also grows quickly. Vingroup is just emerging from corporate adolescence at the age of 28.
Given VinFast’s quick expansion, it should not be surprising that the two VF 8 prototypes I’m examining are notably incomplete. Actually, some of the cars’ software features are faulty, in addition to using different versions of the development software. It becomes challenging to decide whether or not an EV should be on your list of purchases when you include in a built-in driving loop, which may be several kilometers long. But my drive amply illustrates the VF 8’s innate potential. Everything is in position, but there is a lot of work that has to be completed soon.
With dual-motor Plus versions like the ones I’m tasting producing up to 402 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque, VinFast plans to produce two VF 8 cars. Official estimates state that it takes 5.3 seconds for a car with basic all-wheel drive to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour. Although it’s only a fleeting instance, it’s more than a half-second slower than what we’ve seen from Hyundai and Tesla vehicles in the past. (The eco version claims that with 348 horsepower and less power, it can reach 60 mph in 5.9 seconds.)
My driving involves fast acceleration up and down a road between production plants, with a U-turn on one end and a keyhole loop return on the other. Although the sign says our testing is limited to 80 kph (50 mph), the engineer in my passenger seat allows me to drive much faster—up to 100 mph—before putting a hard stop into the left-handed keyhole. Acceleration is predictable for an EV, but when the 19-inch Goodyear Eagle Touring tires are loaded in the last turn, the steering’s power assistance sometimes looks strangely nonlinear.
Its absence of regenerative braking was another noteworthy feature. A single-pedal version is reportedly being developed and will probably be made available to early automobiles through an over-the-air upgrade, according to VinFast specialists.
I saw variations in power levels between the two test cars (perhaps because of different software versions), and at least one other media member also reported experiencing a brief complete power outage during their test drives after releasing the brakes. Even while these kinds of occurrences are somewhat frequent in early prototype cars, VinFast wants to deliver production cars to eager consumers in little over six months, so engineers obviously have their work cut out for them. 2026 VinFast VF 8 Release Date
2026 VinFast VF 8 Fuel Economy
Another important factor to take into account is the higher cost of the previously stated batteries. VinFast will be the first carmaker in North America to provide automobiles with a separate battery and charging subscription or leasing plan. The business believes it can increase pricing appeal by excluding the pack cost because batteries are the most stable expense in EVs. By taking accountability for these issues, officials want to allay worries about the durability and dependability of power packs. Eventually, but not until 2024, it will also provide a more conventional car-with-battery price option.
While the unlimited-range Fixed battery lease plan costs $110 per month, the Flexible plan, which has a range of up to 310 miles (plus $0.11 per mile for overages), starts at just $35 per month. VinFast’s chosen charging partner in the US has already been revealed to be Electrify America. See our explanation article for all the details. For present, you should be aware that even if gas prices drastically decline, the value calculation appears sound despite its intricacy.
2026 VinFast VF 8 Safety Features
As you can see, the 2026 VinFast VF 8 has a lot of potential, but much more work has to be done. Among other advanced technologies, the VF 8’s specification list includes autonomous lane-change and summon technology. However, this is before the company’s goals for better driver-assist systems are taken into consideration. The executives’ self-imposed on-sale deadline will be intriguing to watch since it will reveal if the firm can provide a high-quality product immediately, with or without the majority of the features it has promised.
Naturally, fulfilling deadlines is insufficient for a business with VinFast’s lofty goals. Absolutely not. Officials have already revealed plans for a multibillion-dollar EV production and battery complex south of Raleigh, North Carolina, before the firm has sold a single car in the US. The company promptly announced that it has submitted an application for a U.S. initial public offering (IPO).
It will be intriguing to see how this new Vietnamese business adapts to life in the US. I humbly suggest that VinFast think about changing the company’s name to “VinFaster” if it can complete all of these tasks by the timeframes it has set.
2026 VinFast VF 8 Release Date & Price
Unexpectedly, VinFast intends to provide two distinct battery capacities for its Plus and Eco models. I use the word “strangely” since the ranges and pricing aren’t that different. The entry-level Eco Battery Version 1 costs $40,700 (plus an unspecified delivery fee) and is anticipated to last 260 miles on Europe’s more forgiving WLTP test cycle.
For just $300 more, the extended-range Battery Version 2 Eco is expected to provide 292 miles for $41,000. With its Battery Version 1 configuration ($47,700), the more expensive (and hence heavier) VF 8 Plus should have a range of 248 miles; with its Battery Version 2 configuration ($48,800), it should have a range of 277 miles. In the US, mpg figures are a little lower due to the EPA’s stricter test cycle.
Even though the bigger Samsung-celled packs in the Battery Version 1 automobiles have a 90 kWh capacity, VinFast has not yet revealed the precise measurements of the packs. Version 1 cars can be charged from 10% to 70% full in 24 minutes with a DC fast charger; bigger pack vehicles require 31 minutes. 2026 VinFast VF 8 Release Date
Note: The details included in this blog post are derived from pre-release material that was accessible when the article was written. If you want the latest information, you should check official sources or call your nearest dealership.
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