Vietnamese auto maker VinFast has pulled the covers off its meanest-looking model to date, with the relative newcomers confirming the V8-powered President SUV will go into production this year.
Based on the brand's existing Lux mid-size SUV, but with four very important differences - namely the number of cylinders added to that vehicle's 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine.
Instead, the President gets a thumping V8 power plant, thought to be a GM-sourced 6.2-litre unit good for around 340kW and 624Nm. And that's rather a lot - remember that Jeep's mentalist Grand Cherokee SRT produces 344kW and 624Nm from its 6.4-litre V8 - and the VinFast President looks to be a fair bit lighter.
In other words, expect the President to at least match the Jeep's blistering sprint to 100km/h of 4.9 seconds. In fact, the President isn't that far off the Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S, which squeezes 375kW and 700Nm from its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.
Elsewhere, the images released to date show an aggressive new styling treatment, with 22-inch alloys, quad exhaust tips, plenty of venting in the bonnet and a new-look mesh grille.
The real question is when, or if, we'll see the President in Australia. While VinFast cut the ribbon on a Melbourne R&D centre earlier this year, the brand is yet to confirm an offical launch schedule for our market -though has previously said we are in their global plans.
![]()
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
About Author
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Comments