Vietnam' s First Cars Look Great But Are Based On Old BMW Models CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News Vietnam' s First Cars Look Great But Are Based On Old BMW Models

Vietnam' s First Cars Look Great But Are Based On Old BMW Models

Sep. 10, 2018 1:30 PM ET by Jared Rosenholtz Reveal / 9 Comments Still, this seems like a great first effort from Vietnam. The 2018 Paris Motor Show already has a number of absentee brands as several automakers have announced they will skip the event in favor of hosting their own private gatherings, citing cost as the main factor. Don't fret, because there will still be some big headlines out of this year's show, including a pair of reveals from a new company called VinFast. If you haven't heard of VinFast, don't feel bad, because we hadn't heard of the company either. VinFast is launching two new models (a sedan and an SUV), both of which will act as the first production models from Vietnam. Paris will also be the first global auto show with a Vietnamese automaker in attendance. We don't have the names for these upcoming vehicles as of yet, but we should receive an announcement at the Paris Motor show. The vehicles are based on the outgoing BMW F10 5 Series and F15 X5, and should both be powered by a modified version of BMW's 2.0-liter turbocharged N20 four-cylinder engine with rear- and all-wheel drive available. Both models will be available with 175-horsepower and 227-horsepower versions, and all will be mated to an eight-speed automatic. Though the BMW underpinnings are now a generation old, the VinFast cars do not look like they are out-of-date on the exterior. That's because they were styled by famous Italian design house Pininfarina. We think both models look excellent, especially for a first effort from a country that has little experience building cars. VinFast says it has "future-proofed" the cars with improved pedestrian protection and a focus on meeting global safety and emissions standards. This means VinFast could easily export its cars to other parts of the world. VinFast The sedan and SUV should arrive in the third quarter of 2019, and VinFast plans to hit 500,000 sales by 2025. The cars will be produced at a GM's former Daewoo factory in Hanoi, and the company plans to introduce five new models in the next year. For now, VinFast will sell cars through Chevy dealers in Vietnam, though it will be interesting to see if the Vietnamese automaker has plans to export cars to the US. Vinfast may have based their first cars on BMW chassis, but they chose well and those models should still be ahead of many rivals for dynamics and quality, and it will be interesting to see how they are price and who they aim to compete with. VinFast Handout, VinFast VinFast VinFast

Join The Discussion

Show Comments (9)

Gallery

8 Photos Tags: #BMW News #2018 Paris Motor Show #Industry News #Reveal

Related Cars

BMW 5 Series Sedan BMW X5 Jared Rosenholtz Editor-at-Large After graduating with an MBA, Jared pursued his love of cars by becoming an automotive journalist. An internship with CarBuzz grew into his current position as Editor At Large. Jared now spends most of his time evaluating new vehicles and chasing the latest news stories in the automotive industry. When he’s not attending Cars & Coffee events on the weekend, Jared loves to watch NFL football and cruise around with the top down in his German convertible. Contact Jared @Carsnbites @jar_rosenholtz LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top