The world’s newest automaker unveiled its first two vehicles Tuesday at the 2018 Mondial de l’Auto (Paris Motor Show). Featured along with the unveiling were former world soccer star David Beckham and Tran Tieu Vy, the 2018 Miss Vietnam.
“The passion that the VinFast team have for these cars is infectious,” said Beckham, who added that “I’ve always been a car fanatic.
“It’s an inspirational story and I’m really excited to have been part of this launch moment for VinFast.”
The vehicles are the LUX A2.0 sedan and LUX SA2.0 sport utility.
“The Vietnamese people will be immensely proud, honored and excited to see two such well-known figures unveiling these first cars from Vietnam,” said VinFast chairwoman Le Thi Thu. “Together they represent our intention for VinFast to be a successful automotive brand both in Vietnam and internationally.
“With our ambitious plans to bring these two vehicles to market in such a short time, it was crucial for us to make a big entrance and an immediate impact.”
In its news release, VinFast noted that the cars were created “with Vietnamese spirit, Italian design and European technology.”
The cars were designed in partnership with Pininfarina.
“Being VinFast a brand-new car company developing its first own range of world-class vehicles, Pininfarina has defined for them a recognizable brand identity and developed a specific design language that you will find in all the next VinFast models, such as the unique V logo in the grille, which references the country of Vietnam, as well as the Vingroup and VinFast brands,” the Italian design house said in its news release.
Pininfarina also designed the VinFast booth at the Paris show, featuring Vietnamese lacquer art and floating rings and an LED wall.
In an unusual effort to involve it nation’s citizens in the vehicle development process, VinFast said that preliminary design sketches were presented to the public in October 2017 and people were allowed to vote on which direction the designs should pursue.
“In order to find a style that reflected the desires of the Vietnamese driver, VinFast did something no car brand has ever done before,” Pininfarina noted “First, it commissioned design sketches for a sedan and a SUV from four of the world’s best car design studios. Then in October 2017, it put all 20 designs on its website and asked Vietnamese consumers to vote on which models they liked the most.
“Since then, VinFast has worked hard with Pininfarina to further develop the cars and deliver the winning designs – designs which are distinctively Vietnamese in character and style and exciting for an international audience, too.”
Pininfarina added that the vehicles’ interiors are designed to be “calm… tranquil and rewarding place(s)… reflective of a Vietnamese aesthetic.”
“In addition to the cars being presented in Paris, VinFast is rapidly developing other vehicles and the company is planning to export to foreign markets in the coming years,” the new automaking company said.
VinFast is a subsidiary of Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest private business with enterprises in retail, construction, real estate and education.
It has recruited from other automakers for its new effort, including James DeLuca, former GM executive vice president, as general manager to lead the development and production of the new vehicles.
