Vietnam’s first automaker VinFast has revealed the official names of its first two vehicles – the sedan is called LUX A2.0, whereas the SUV is called LUX SA2.0. Both models have just made their world debuts at the Paris Motor Show (in the presence of football legend David Beckham, no less), and deliveries will begin in June 2019 before the start of export in 2020.
Apparently, the word LUX references the “premium and sophisticated qualities” of the cars, although it doesn’t sound quite as luxurious when uttered verbally (the SUV’s name will probably whet your appetite). The letter ‘A’, which stands for Ambition, represents the “very high standards of product quality” that will be met, an important part of VinFast’s goal to become the leading automobile manufacturer in South East Asia, and grow it into a global car brand. The ‘S’ in the LUX SA2.0 stands for SUV.
The idea behind the names is that they are to be short, easy to read, memorable and suitable for most languages around the world. Following the LUX nameplate, VinFast will introduce additional models with names that represent each of its positioning in the car market.
Now, the LUX A2.0, which is based on the F10 BMW 5 Series, features a rather dynamic stance and a good mix of curved and concave surfaces. The long bonnet adds a touch of sportiness, and the sleek LED daytime running lights are joined by the asymmetric ‘VF’ motif. The badge in the centre of the grille is a straightforward V, and radiates upwards to form the bold crease lines that run over the bonnet.
It has quite a silhouette as well, with a roofline that stretches rearward and further accentuated by the elongated C-pillars. This tapers off to a steeply-raked rear glass, although the end result is not quite that of a fastback.
At the back, the sedan gets a similarly slim pair of tail lights which run through the tailgate, giving it a sense of luxury and identity. Below that are reflectors with vertical air outlets as well as twin hexagonal exhaust exits. Overall, it measures 4,973 mm long, 1,900 mm wide, 1,464 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,968 mm.
The LUX SA2.0 on the other hand, is based on the F15 BMW X5 and features a chunky front apron with a similar design motif as the sedan – the product of Pininfarina’s involvement in the project. The same slim LED DRLs are used as well. Meanwhile, the headlights, fog lights and air intakes are finished in contrasting matte black, which VinFast claims to “heighten the sense of solidity and structure.”
Don’t let its outer appearance fool you, because this three-row SUV seats seven! Part of the magic comes from using smaller windscreens for the front and rear, as well as adding a contrasting silver finish to the lower side of the doors. The ‘elating’ roof at the D-pillar adds a touch of athleticism, further removing visual bulk.
Behind, the SUV gets the same slim LED tail lights with individual, vertical block-style LED units. Finishing off the rear end are the matte black lower bumper, silver diffuser and integrated hexagonal exhaust tips. It measures 4,940 mm in length, 1,960 in width, 1,773 mm in height and a shorter 2,933 mm wheelbase compared to the sedan. Mind you, that’s even bigger than the F15 BMW X5.
Inside, the driver is greeted with a thick three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel, paddle shifters and traditional analogue gauges that sandwich a seven-inch digital multi-info display screen. Over to the centre is a 10.4-inch tablet-style infotainment display and features a newly-developed user interface.
The homepage, for example, has just three icons for top level access, including a display that shows the climate control status in the car. There are also sub-menus for phone, audio and GPS navigation system, and the system even has swipe down gesture for shortcuts, just like you would with a smartphone.
Besides the use of LED ambient lighting, another factor which enhances the perceived quality is the use of authentic trim materials. VinFast says if it looks like aluminium, it is aluminium, and if it looks like wood, it is wood. A single supplier – Faurecia – has been appointed to supply all interior parts, which helps ensure consistency and quality.
For those who are wondering, the ‘2.0’ suffix refers the capacity of the engine, which in this case is a BMW-sourced N20 2.0 litre four-cylinder petrol engine. It features a twin-scroll turbocharger and a new variable valvetrain system to produce two outputs – 176 PS at 4,500 to 6,000 rpm and 300 Nm from 1,750 to 4,000 rpm, and a hotter 231 PS at 5,000 to 6,000 rpm and 350 Nm from 1,750 to 4,500 rpm.
The LUX A2.0 sedan will get both tunes, while the LUX SA2.0 SUV will only get the 231 PS unit. Both models share the same eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, featuring a modified bell housing and crank case. Drive is sent to the rear wheels as standard, although the SUV comes with optional AWD (torque transfer case from BorgWarner).
For performance, the lower 176 PS output in the sedan achieves a zero to 100 km/h sprint in 8.9 seconds, whereas the 231 PS version gets there in 7.1 seconds. The RWD LUX SA2.0 manages the century sprint in 8.9 seconds, and the heavier AWD model is 0.2 seconds slower at 9.1 seconds. VinFast cars will meet Euro 5 emissions standards in a market and region that is currently regulated under Euro 4.
The engines have been further developed by Austrian engineering firm AVL for the Vietnamese market, using a new assessment technology called AVL-Drive. It found that Vietnamese drivers lean towards the driving styles of Europeans, though preferring a smoother, more powerful torque response from the car without needing to downshift.
Platform-wise, a team of 400 engineers from Austrian specialist consultancy Magna Steyr are putting together a newly-developed vehicle systems, complete with the latest-generation ECU technologies from Bosch, and a new cutting-edge electrical architecture. The new platforms incorporate extensive use of hot-stamped ultra-high strength steels. Testing is being undertaken using nearly 300 prototype development cars in Vietnam and in Europe.
Underpinning both cars is an ultra-rigid monocoque structure. Each structure has been honed to have high natural frequencies, which provide resistance to vibrations and have been engineered to manage torsion and bending forces. The result is greater control over vehicle dynamics, and VinFast claims the cars will offer European levels of driving quality and refinement.
For suspension, both models feature independent double-wishbone up front, with double-pivot lower arms, aluminium shock towers and coil springs. The rear is managed by a five-joint multi-link axle with track rod and a tubular anti-roll bar.
High emphasis has been put on crash protection as well. The car’s strong and rigid passenger cell provides excellent crash protection, and crumple zones at the front and rear help absorb the transfer of energy in the event of a collision. There are six airbags as standard (dual front, side and curtain airbags) on all models, whereas Active Rollover Mitigation technology is also included.
Both the LUX A2.0 and LUX SA2.0 will be built in 2019 at the company’s all-new, purpose-built, 335-hectare plant in Haiphong, northern Vietnam. It is one of Vietnam’s biggest industrial projects ever, and is claimed to be one of the most advanced automotive production complexes in the world.
The automaker is also developing an city car based on the Chevrolet Spark, a battery electric car developed by EDAG, and an electric bus with the support of Siemens. All three will be rolled out by 2020.
GALLERY: VinFast LUX A2.0
GALLERY: VinFast LUX SA2.0
GALLERY: VinFast at the 2018 Paris Motor Show
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- PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 02: Miss Vietnam 2018 Tran Tieu Vy (L) and David Beckham (R) shake hands next to Director of Design of VinFast Dave Lyon (C) as they attend VinFast launch at the Paris Motor Show at Parc des Expositions, Porte de Versailles on October 2, 2018, France. (Photo by Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images For VinFast) *** Local Caption *** Dave Lyon;Tran Tieu Vy;David Beckham
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- PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 02: (L-R) Director of Design of VinFast Dave Lyon, Miss Vietnam 2018 Tran Tieu Vy and David Beckham attend VinFast launch at the Paris Motor Show at Parc des Expositions, Porte de Versailles on October 2, 2018, France. (Photo by Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images For VinFast) *** Local Caption *** Dave Lyon;Tran Tieu Vy;David Beckham
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- PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 02: David Beckham (R) and Miss Vietnam 2018 Tran Tieu Vy (L) attend VinFast launch at the Paris Motor Show at Parc des Expositions, Porte de Versailles on October 2, 2018, France. (Photo by Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images For VinFast) *** Local Caption *** David Beckham;Tran Tieu Vy
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- PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 02: (L-R) Director of Design of VinFast Dave Lyon, Miss Vietnam 2018 Tran Tieu Vy, Vice-Chairwoman of Vingroup and Chairwoman of VinFast Le Thi Thu Thuy, David Beckham and CEO of Vinfast Jim DeLuca pose for a picture during VinFast launch at the Paris Motor Show at Parc des Expositions, Porte de Versailles on October 2, 2018, France. (Photo by Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images For VinFast) *** Local Caption *** Dave Lyon;Tran Tieu Vy;Le Thi Thu Thuy;David Beckham;Jim DeLuca
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- PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 02: (L-R) Director of Design of VinFast Dave Lyon, Miss Vietnam 2018 Tran Tieu Vy, Vice-Chairwoman of Vingroup and Chairwoman of VinFast Le Thi Thu Thuy, David Beckham and CEO of Vinfast Jim DeLuca pose for a picture during VinFast launch at the Paris Motor Show at Parc des Expositions, Porte de Versailles on October 2, 2018, France. (Photo by Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images For VinFast) *** Local Caption *** Dave Lyon;Tran Tieu Vy;Le Thi Thu Thuy;David Beckham;Jim DeLuca
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- PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 02: (L-R) , Miss Vietnam 2018 Tran Tieu Vy, CEO of Vinfast Jim DeLuca, Vice-Chairwoman of Vingroup and Chairwoman of VinFast Le Thi Thu Thuy, Director of Design of VinFast Dave Lyon and David Beckham pose for a picture during VinFast launch at the Paris Motor Show at Parc des Expositions, Porte de Versailles on October 2, 2018, France. (Photo by Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images For VinFast) *** Local Caption *** Dave Lyon;Tran Tieu Vy;Le Thi Thu Thuy;David Beckham;Jim DeLuca
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- PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 02: David Beckham poses for a picture during VinFast launch at the Paris Motor Show at Parc des Expositions, Porte de Versailles on October 2, 2018, France. (Photo by Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images For VinFast) *** Local Caption *** David Beckham
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Bye bye Proton.
2019? Why so selow? Tido, lepak, goyang kaki, teh tarik 8x everyday kah? Just sell it alredi lah!
Hard to beat Geely Boyue LHD.
“Bye bye” said not only proton but all brands, because this junk dun have HPF and only Euro 5 in 2018
Habis la boyue
BMW engine is a big no no
Habis la proton, perodua dan mimco alif !!!!
Habis la kereta buatan Malaysia
Bye Bye Perodua.
RIP proton , perodua also up coming mimco alif
Manga Steyr?
They are so advanced to make NEW car in 2018 without headrests, myvi much better
This Vinfast will fail because the engine is not from Japan, although it’s very impressive in design.
With European-sourced engine surely the buyer will Visit Workshop very often.
Malaysian lost to Vietnamese.
it mean all bolehland private company are not capable.. Need govt to do everything. The viet do not need govt to form car company. Do any private company here in bolehland dare to invest to make car without govt help?
R u sure no gomen involment in Vietnam? There r plenty of kickbacks required in this place.It seems a msian company lost RM 300 juta there…cos corruption is 10 fold there.The msian co sells burger in fast foot restaurant s here.Shy shy…this moustache vvip lost lots of dong in Vietnam,but malu to disclose.
Yeah lost interest in this car, pipu dun need makan minyak like lumbu munum air
See that Proton? Vinfast very smart to hire European designers and bam! the result is a stunning beauty.
If Proton still keep local syok sendiri chief designer, then sorry lah the low sales forever stuck and not even Geely can do a crap about it.
Yawnz. 8 years too late, pleeasee paultan.org/2010/10/01/paris-2010-live-gallery-of-the-fantastic-five-from-lotus/
Errr it is not original, tooBMWish
Why u need to company with p1? P1 for the longest time is run by govt. Vinfast is a private company since day 1.
This car will do well because Vietnam people work hard. They don’t goyang kaki in office and expect bantuan all the time.
For sure the designers of this car will work hard to improve on this car for years to come. Cars are like that. You need research and development. If you are lazy and don’t research to improve your car, nobody will buy it after a while
Vietnam can do BMW-based cars, surely P1 cud get some helping frm their cousin Mercedes
They should have done more research and do a better job than to name their car after a soap. Such laziness is unforgivable. No wonder nobody took Vinfast seriously.
how do u know the car will sell well? they dont even announce the price
Look at how sexy this car is? I don’t know why Proton could not design such sexy and beautiful cars. Proton’s best achievement is the Juara, Savvy and Proton Arena. They thought these designs were so happening.
Then when nobody bought their cars, they say Malaysians are not patriotic.
Pls learn from Vinfast. See how they design so sexy
whut took the viets soooo long.
P1 Emas ord made world debut at Paris yrs ago
The reliability is uncertain, you know conti cars love workshops much
how much u think the car will cost? U want p1 n p2 to make beautiful car but don wan to pay more than RM70k
Because Malaysian only knew to bought the car logo not the design.
Meh… Rebadged & facelift BMW. They went to Vietnam for the cheap labor. If P1 did this, people will go crazy bashing. Typical drones.
Buy one car, get one soap
Ohsemm SUV turbo 7seater lawa beb
Tu je la, tapi maintenance, spare part, realibility, FC, kualiti takde
Good luck.vietnam,please google proton..
I believe they will succeed where Proton failed cause their launch vehicles are beautiful, technologically good and introduced at the right launch spot for global attention. If they succeed in marketing it, then this will be South East Asia’s first regional vehicle manufacturer. Congrats Vietnam!
Hah 2.0l 8speed zf RWD takes 8.9s? Suprema S 1.6t can easily smoke this car with efficient 1.6t and cvt. Not to mention that ugly styling even cheapest Proton Saga looks 10x better.
Proton is the most successful car manufacturer in Malaysia
Pak you
Sadly some people are still deluded, same ppl who claim Proton was not a failure as well as supporting the 3rd national car project. Never mind the styling, but technology wise Vietnam already woosh woosh ahead.
What technology? U mean BMW technology? Ya, some people like u are still deluded.
I already got idea to expand my business in vietnam, those BMW engines are waiting for me.
I’m living in Viet Nam and also into this industry. How could I contact you?
Suprima? Saga? Its funny how people use their kemaluan besar to compare with others.
Vinfast only can compare with 3 wheels car trabant
A stunner no doubt! Much better looking than Proton X70!!
Vietnam now has a very beautiful and advanced looking national car JV with best of Europe and Proton after 30 years assemble Chinese cars that are sold only in 3rd world countries. How embarrassing for malaysia.
If you really think Malaysia is so embarrassing then migrate to vietnam, marry vietnamese gal and try build your career there.
Not that most Malaysian dont want to but the imigration laws make it difficult. If the imigration is lax, more Malaysian will move there with their families.
Vietnam oso dun wan useless pipu who dun contribute to nation but only knows how to complain, complain and complain endlessly.
utter embarassing. 61 years inda doldrums. cant expect miracles comin so soon.
how much u will pay for those car? below RM50k? below RM80k? or above RM100k?
Vinfast is really fast. P1 and p2 bertahun duduk bawah jepun apa benda latest technology pun tak dapat. Maruti suzuki di india contoh lain, apa technology pun maruti tak dapat. Beza dengan hyundai/kia yang jv dengan ford, lepas tu daimler, kat mana dah dorang sekarang. Jepun ni memang kedekut ilmu
P1 got good campro, keep it up. Dun giv up !
Lol campro is a disaster failure. Can’t even meet standard quality of euro 5 petrol
why viet cars must get a white ambassador? so it’s based on bmw meaning the european designers only design the apperance of this ‘national car’? right?
Rebadged BMW only…sure Mahal….hard to sell in Vietnam becoz they still ride scooter and eat pho
Kenot fight china car makers for sure…later geely bring proton to Vietnam sure kawww
Fuhhh… I must say, I am thoroughly impressed ! I didn’t expect much from VinFast, but they really delivered through and through with this grand unveil. I’m glad to add that unlike some startup car companies (eg. Qoros), VinFast didn’t turn out to be just another hyped-up disappointment. I hope they will not give us a reason to say otherwise.
It is incredible to note that just 4 decades ago, Vietnam was a war torn country, and yet today, they can afford to fund a national car program (and a luxury one at that). Then again, we are talking about the only country which stood up to FOUR major world powers (China, France, Japan and America) and still ‘won’. Who knows, Vietnam could be the next South Korea, or even a mini-China ?
However, a word of caution; Vietnam cannot depend on young, low cost labour for very long. The average Vietnamese is already 30.5 years old but only earns about I$7,000 annually (Intl. dollars, GDP PPP per capita), while the average Malaysian is younger at 28.5 years old and earns about I$30,000.
In other words, Vietnam’s ‘energy’ and best days are running out, they might not have enough time to reach high income status. On the bright side, Vietnam still has a large 95 million strong population (Malaysia = 32 million), but their population growth is quite low (considering their economic status) at around 1% (Malaysia = 1.5 %, Thailand = 0.3%, Indonesia = 1.2%, China = 0.5%, India = 1.2%, Nigeria / Pakistan = 2.5% ) Still, Vietnam has far more labour potential than Thailand (avg. age 37.7 yrs old, I$18,000) and they are not far off from Indonesia (30.2 yrs, I$12,000).
And one more thing… the average Vietnamese is VERY smart. Very much smarter than the average Malaysian. This is Vietnam’s best kept secret. Just Google around if you’re interested to learn more. I don’t want to stress this point too much, otherwise, people will probably call me racist or something.
As for the VinFast cars themselves, amazing looks aside, I have serious reservations about quality control, seeing how they’re utilising BMW platforms, BMW engines and other Euro technology… I wonder what repair costs will be like when they eventually break 5 or 10 years down the road. Don’t get me wrong, every car breaks sooner or later, but Toyota or Honda (or Perodua or Proton) replacement parts are a LOT cheaper and easier to find. Does Vietnam even have the kind of high-tech or high-tier vendor base to support a niche luxury car company ? They are struggling to support mass market brands as it is, and lately they’ve resorted to non-tariff barriers to protect their infant auto industry. Overall car sales in Vietnam lag far behind the big ASEAN car markets, and the average Vietnamese will likely not be able to afford the upmarket VinFast car.
Exporting is the only sustainable way forward for VinFast, and even on that front, it will be a very difficult road ahead. ASEAN is dominated by Japanese cars, and if even the Korean (and now Chinese) cars cant crack the ASEAN market, what hope does VinFast have ? Although, it is worth noting that Vietnam is one of the few ASEAN countries where Korean cars have high market share. All this will be in the short term, the long term obstacles will be even more daunting. VinFast will need to spend a TON of money on alternative propulsion and autonomous tech if they want to remain relevant in the coming decade.
Reality check aside for both VinFast (and Vietnam in general), I still maintain that VinFast is off to a great start, and I wish them well moving forward. Will definitely look forward to future VinFast news, and I hope VinFast will export their cars to Malaysia in due time. Who knows, one day, Proton and VinFast could establish a joint-venture for mutual gain.
My company colleague in Vietnam said you have to solve rubic puzzle in the primary school. If not you can not proceed to next level.
Definitely Vietnamese are buying VINFAST not because of tech or money. Each Vietnamese is proud of their country and high nationalisme culture. When we have meeting in Malaysia, none of them coming via MAS, all via their national airline.
But this car needs to be properly marketable, as purchasing power of the citizen is low, high interest rate for borrowing and driving a car at SAIGON is not recommended by the local, unless you are a captain of industry.
Rubic cube are easy. Just memorize the steps and done (or they called it ‘algorithms’ for glamour. I can solve one in under 1 minute. Am I genius?
Well said bro!! It’s too early to judge. Many ambitious car companies has gone bust if not being bailed out or sold off!! Not only Proton, the Bugatti was once defunct as well!
agrree that the average vietnamese is smart, and also agreessive/pushy.
Mesti tukang sapu vietnam yg kerja kt proton tu gelak ramai2
Ini sabun LUX ni…
But damn….this is one sexy LUX. Love it…
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Very ambitious. All the best to Vietnam, it will either do very well, or goes down badly considering most Vietnamese can’t afford that kind of car.
Malaysian always set their own max of the national car price. They willing to pay 150k for Toyota D segment but unwilling to pay 110k for Proton D segment.
Let say abolish national car project, UMW will decrease the price to 120k?
Or
Perodua roll out D segment with 120k, who will pay for that?
Wah… David Beckham so old already.
Nope… Will not work.
But I wish VinFast all the best and congratulations on the effort made.
Wah. They get support from Magna Steyr and EDAG.
Malaysia’s automotive how la?
My jaws just dropped!!
Proton oh Proton, good luck!!
dont worry, Dr M protiga project will shame the viets once n for all
yes as long as its not awarded to Frazer and nash or DRB or other people pretending to be car makers and that kit car maker in kepong bufori.
Like always people’s condenm country made car’s and bragging about other country car’s. Just Vietnam hired Europe designer and based on BMW when BMW are at top world car ranking. Think back, if the Vietnam hired designer at the same time before as proton firstly develope, you think VinFast will be a ‘Nice Car’ like now? Hilarious. I think that time Vinfas will use the old tech and being condemn by it’s people like what happen on proton and perodua. Vietnam hired Europe to make a ‘Nice Car’, why don’t giving proton and perodua a time to develope something that can compete with the BMW class?
You all think BMW, Audi, and the other europe car start with shining star eh? They all start from zero and accepting their country’ citizen condemn and feedback until they can be like now. A top class car in the world.
Search and learn their history for developing car so you will know the hardship they have been facing to reach their place now. Don’t always condemn and condemn then buy the import car because that car are better than our country made car’s. Giving feedback and support to make our country car’s better and better. If you all condemn,then what the car maker/ designer can make with their only idea without the customer idea/feedback to satisfied their customer in this country for the next car they will produce? the result will always same if they can’t get an idea/feedback from the customer. Like you wanna start a busisness, of course you want you customer feedback to make a better product next time. If they won’t take your feedback, then it’s the car maker/designer fault. They let their product down and can’t compete with the imported car’s. If the gov won’t giving loan and an alternative, then it’s the gov fault also.
proton was supposed to be asia BMW. and their cars are supposed to be as good as BMW.
And proton always offer gamechanger global products.
The viets are just so shameless in assuming the claim, and they had the guts to show their products to the Ang Moh.
Wait till Dr M launch his Protiga project to the western world and the Viets will know what a true asia BMW looks like.
hahahaha…
What BMW? It’s Volvo of Asia!
I must say, this is pretty impressive! Their first effort looks so spot on and that makes us feel that Proton are light years behind. If not for Geely, we’ll be even further behind.
Then jepunis many many many lighyears behind proton with frog, catfish, dog, donkey and many many ugly designs
This brand should arrive here soon under the preference terms of AFTA.
So, it’s a BMW rebadge with ugly facelift. Looking at the front light made me puke a bit.
In the world races for electric powertrain, vinfast ‘so cliche’ went the other way. Regardless, well done Vietnam for the effort.
These cars are simple beautiful well done Vietnam
Latest news is these cars will be priced around 50k usd. Slightly cheaper than a Camry. I have lived in Saigon for the last 9 years and you will be surprised how many customers here can afford to buy cash.