2025 VinFast VF9 3-Row CUV Hits Dealerships

Vietnamese BEV maker VinFast introduces its all-new 7-seat VF9 CUV, a would-be competitor to the Kia EV9 and forthcoming Cadillac Vistiq if the automaker can begin generating some real awareness in the U.S.

The Pininfarina-designed battery-electric VF9 is priced starting at $69,800 for the entry-level Eco version and $73,800 for the more upmarket VF9 Plus. Those are lower starting prices, by about $12,000, compared with what the company previously announced, owing to the fierce price competition among automakers trying to clear out 2024 model year inventory.

Indeed, there is a leasing war going on among BEV makers. VinFast is offering a lease price of $529 per month for the first 100 Plus trims delivered stateside. This offer includes a $3,500 discount and a $2,000 down payment. The company has not announced what the leasing price will be after the initial 100 are sold.

Both trims come with a 123-kWh battery pack delivering up to 330 miles (531 km) of range by the Eco and 291 miles (468 km) by the Plus. The Eco is equipped with 20-in. wheels, while the Plus comes with standard 21-in. wheels, which impacts the range differential between the two. Plugging it into a DC fast charger will replenish the battery from 10% to 70% in 35 minutes, according to the company.

The Plus helps justify the price premium by including fog lights, 12-way power heated/ventilated/massaging driver’s seat with memory, as well as 8-way power adjustment for second-row seats. The Plus can be ordered with seating for six as well as seven.

Both trims are equipped with a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup producing 402 hp and 457 lb.-ft. (620 Nm) of torque.

The front suspension is an independent double wishbone, while the rear suspension is a multi-link with air springs. The standard safety package includes lane departure warning, lane keeping and lane centering assist, adaptive cruise control, intelligent speed adaptation, forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic-alert and more. The 15.6-in. (39.6-cm) infotainment touchscreen controls most driver-engaged functions. It also supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wirelessly.

The VF9, manufactured in Vietnam, is not eligible for the federal $7,500 tax credit for EV purchases but the credit, thanks to a loophole in the legislation, does get dialed into the discounted lease deal.

WardsAuto has not yet driven the VF9, which is arriving at dealerships this month. As good a value as it may be, VinFast still suffers from a lack of awareness in the U.S., a limited dealer body and early poor reviews of its vehicles.

The VF9 joins the VF8, a 2-row CUV, in the lineup, hoping to attract buyers with the hottest category in the EV space: CUVs.

The company has been making running improvements to the VF8, however. WardsAuto recently drove a VF8 and found it to be adequate, albeit with some design choices that could still hold it back in the U.S., such as a lack of knobs/switchgear around the center screen. The company is offering a 3-year lease for $249 per month, with no money down on the VF8, so if nothing else it is a big value story.

Ed Kim, President of AutoPacific, recently drove a VF8, too: “It is clearly better than the initial model and represents an interesting value choice given the very inexpensive lease deal. Vinfast is trying to take away the risk consumers feel toward an unfamiliar brand.”

Consumer Reports also weighs in: “The too-good-to-true lease deal (on the VF8) is the primary reason to get a VF8, especially if you have access to an at-home charger and live close to a dealership,” say CR’s testers.

The influential magazine also notes the company’s 10-year, 125,000-mi. (201,168-km) warranty, with the battery pack covered by a 10-year unlimited-miles warranty also applied to the VF9, as a big positive. The warranty could come in handy as CR, which rented the vehicle for an extended evaluation, complained about power delivery, regenerative braking programming, ride, steering and suspension tuning. It also is critical of the interior materials, which its testers doubt will hold up well over time against rough-and-tumble kids.

Vinfast's sales so far don't put it in the league of offerings from established automakers. But the big money backing the company, from Vingroup, Vietnam's largest conglomerate, and its founder and chairman, Pham Nhat Vuong, means it has time to try and meet the challenges of building consumer consideration. Lucid Motors, backed by the the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, is in the same boat.