From a Toyota Sequoia to the Cadillac Escalade and Bentley Bentayga, Canada’s Inkas Armored Vehicle Manufacturing will fortify just about any people carrier around—even ones you may not have heard of before. Take the new Lạc Hồng 900 LX, for instance, the result of an R&D project between Inkas and VinFast—a burgeoning Vietnamese automaker founded in 2017 that pivoted entirely to EV production in 2022. While they may not yet be a household name stateside, the ongoing construction of a North Carolina plant promises to change that.
The Lạc Hồng 900 LX is based on VinFast’s largest VF 9 model, which features a dual-motor AWD system powered by a 123 kWh battery pack that’s typically good for 402 horsepower, 330 miles of range, and a 6.7-second 60 mph sprint in a vehicle that weighs around 6,500 pounds. The special-edition Lạc Hồng 900 LX’s tale of the tape is a little different: output is bumped to 455 hp to compensate for a swell to some 11,000 pounds, which nevertheless drops the 60 mph time to 9.8 seconds and range down to 280 miles.
So it won’t set any typical EV performance benchmarks, but it does boast Germany’s stringent VPAM VR7 certification, which ensures the entire vehicle—not just body and glass panels—features an impressive amount of ballistic protection. Thanks to Inkas’ work, the Lạc Hồng 900 LX withstood a 400-round barrage of laser-guided firepower from all angles to prove that it can keep occupants safe not just from the wildly popular 5.56 x 45mm intermediate rounds, but full-power 7.62 x 51mm battle rifle rounds. Perhaps most impressively—considering that EV architecture so often incorporates batteries into the floor—even a simultaneous detonation of two DM 51 grenades beneath the vehicle didn’t take it out.
“This project underscores the strength of our R&D capabilities and our ability to deliver cutting-edge armored EV solutions,” said David Khazanski, CEO of INKAS®. “Working directly with VinFast as an OEM partner allowed us to integrate our protective technologies seamlessly into the Lạc Hồng 900 LX. Achieving full VPAM certification within such a compressed timeline highlights our team’s ability to execute complex R&D projects with speed and precision.”
Finally, an bulletproof ride for the environmentally conscious.
