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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.
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