Vietnamese automaker VinFast shows off two models

Vietnam’s first volume carmaker, VinFast, debuted its first two vehicles at the Paris Motor Show in early October: the LUX A2.0 Sedan and the LUX SA2.0 SUV, Top Gear reports.

“It’s incredible. It’s beautiful. It’s sleek. It’s modern. It’s high-tech. It’s premium. It’s incredible,” said David Beckham, who appeared on stage to endorse the vehicles.

VinFast has got big plans for its lineup, but let’s talk about the first two vehicles. Both the Sedan and the SUV are powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, available in two variants: 173 horsepower, and 227 hp. Paired with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, they should reach 100 km/h in 8.9 and 7.1 seconds, respectively.

VinFast describes its sedan as “defined by exceptionally balanced and harmonious proportions.” and we can kind of understand what they mean.

The sedan is quite good-looking, with sleek headlights, large air intakes and a long hood. A similar face is found on the SUV, which is described as “muscular and robust.”

The design of these vehicles is surprisingly well done for a firsttime-around car brand, but that’s because they’ve been co-developed by Italian designer Pininfarina, which knows a thing or two about good-looking cars.

To make VinFast even more interesting, the direction of the design was influenced by a public vote.

An EV, a city car, and an electric bus are also expected from the Vietnamese brand by 2020.

“Our partnership strategy will enable us to achieve two crucial engineering imperatives: quality and timing,” said vice-president of engineering Kevin Fisher.