August 01, 2025

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VIN-WIN FOR INDIA

Vin Fast, the Vietnamese automaker part of the VinGroup is all geared up to enter the Indian market and its first two offerings here will be the ­ VF 6 and VF 7. These cars will usher in the VinFast brand to India, introducing the country to Vietnam's finest electric vehicles. While both SUVs differ in dimensions, they share the same electric platform, and a lot more, including their design aestheticIndia is a country that has favoured bold, and butch SUV designs, but the VF 7 has a low, wide stance, coupled with a sculpted roofline that tapers as it reaches the tail. Form follows function in the VF 7, as the nose, with its distinct V-Face that is made out of LED signature lights but is designed to direct airflow, over the nose, and towards the sides. The LED headlamps have been neatly tucked below. Measuring 4,545mm in length, and with a 2,840mm wheelbase, the VF 7 that rides on 19-inch wheels and the overhangs are short, giving the SUV a unique look. Over to the sides, the VF 7 features flush door handles that blend with the sculpted doors giving its silhouette a clean look. The tapered rear, along with the sculpted tailgate, and the slim rear windscreen gives it a sleek look, which is further accentuated by vertically stacked LED taillamps. This long, low-slung shape will help the VF 7 stand out in the segment that is populated by large butch SUVs that prioritise size.

Five for the fighting

The new BMW i5 M60 xDrive is not a car that announces its presence with the lack of subtlety of a performance EV. No sci-fi minimalism, no tortured design gimmicks to hammer home its electric credentials. It looks like a 5 Series. It drives like a 5 Series. And in a strange, almost poetic twist, it might just be the most typical 5 Series of the bunchBecause, while the G60-generation 5 Series range gets larger, softer, and more business-casual in its ICE variants, it's the electric i5 M60 that sharpens the focus back on what made the badge iconic to begin with. This is not a M5-lite, nor is it a gimmicky future-forward commuter with a swollen kidney grille. This is a properly fast, genuinely engaging, impressively well-balanced executive car with a real streak of Munich DNA baked deep into its battery pack. Let's get into itBMW hasn't reinvented the wheel with the i5's styling, and thank heavens for that. The M60 version gets the usual sprinkling of sportier touches -- gloss black elements, larger air intakes, Mspecific mirrors, optional illuminated grille (if you're into that sort of thing), and 20-inch alloys that fill the arches with proper intentIt's still recognisably a 5 Series. Yes, it's bigger than the outgoing model (the G30), but proportionally it's well-resolved and doesn't scream "EV platform" the way some of its rivals do. It's less shouty than an iX, more purposeful than an EQE, and less slab-sided than the Audi A6 e-tron promises to be. The rear is particularly clean, with thin LED tail lamps and a tidy bumper that hides the lack of exhaust pipes with surprising grace.