With and without battery
After the VF8 and the VF9, VinFast is working on expansion at the bottom. That in itself is not news, but the Vietnamese market introduction does provide a first price indication for the more compact VF7.
Admittedly: ‘after the VF8’ is a bit optimistic. To be precise, we saw a VinFast driving once and that was a German car from the factory or the European importer. The car brand from Vietnam has not really started yet, but in the meantime it is keeping us happy with expanding the family. This is done with two models that, due to their relatively compact carriages, in theory seem more interesting for the Dutch market than the VF8 and the VF9: the VF6 and the VF7.
The VF6 and VF7 were previously announced simultaneously, but now VinFast focuses only on the VF7. The larger of the two ‘little ones’ is certainly not really small. The Vinfast VF7 is 4.55 meters long, 1.89 meters wide and 1.64 meters high, with a wheelbase of 2.84 meters. In terms of external dimensions, this brings it close to the Volkswagen ID4 (4.58 x 1.85 x 1.63) and the new Peugeot e-3008 (4.54 x 1.89 x 1.64. The Kia EV6 is longer (4.68 x 1.88 x 1.55), but the upcoming Kia EV5 comes closer at 4.62 meters.
The sleek body of the VF7 was designed in Italy, just like the other VinFast models, and it shows. We already had technical specifications before, but for the sake of overview we will simply share them again. The naturally electric VinFast VF7 comes in two versions, Base and Plus. The Base has a single electric motor, which is reportedly located on the front axle. It delivers 130 kW/174 hp, a relatively modest power for an EV in this segment. The torque is 250 Nm. In this case, the power comes from a 59.6 kWh battery pack, which provides a driving range of 375 WLTP kilometers. That is certainly not impressive compared to the aforementioned competitors, although the basic version of the ID4 does not go further than 361 km (52 ​​kWh).
If you want more, you automatically end up with the twin-motor Plus. It has four-wheel drive and 260 kW/349 hp, plus a battery pack that has considerably more lung capacity at 75.3 kWh. With that power supply, the VF7 can last 431 kilometers, which does not make it an economy miracle. A version with one motor and that large battery is not available yet.
VinFast VF7
The VF7’s strong point might be its price. VinFast promises very generous standard equipment and states that the VinFast VF7 Base costs around €37,500 in Vietnam. The VinFast VF7 Plus costs just under 45 grand. You can also get into a VF7 for less, namely by leasing the battery instead of buying it. Then the purchase price drops considerably, but you are of course stuck with a monthly lease amount.
The market introduction of the VinFast VF7 will take place very soon in Vietnam, after which the first deliveries should take place in early 2024.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl