A subsidiary of Vietnam’s enormous VinGroup conglomerate — which owns companies in technology, healthcare, amusement parks and even a university — Vinfast unveiled its first models, a pair of gasoline-powered luxury sedans, at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. Both sedans used engineering from German luxury automaker BMW, including its engines. The company now also offers gas-powered SUVs in Vietnam with BMW engines, including a high performance model called the President.
But the company has much bigger ambitions.
“We want to become a global brand,” said Vinfast Global CEO Michael Lohscheller, “and if you want to become a global brand, you have to come to the US.”
The two electric crossovers unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday, the VF e35 and VF e36, were designed by Italy’s Pininfarina, which has also designed other gasoline-powered cars for VinFast. Pininfarina is most famous for its history designing classic Ferraris. More recently, Vinfast has been shifting to electric vehicles, like the small VF e34 crossover being offered in Vietnam.
The Vinfast VF e35 has a driving range of up 310 miles on a charge, according to Vinfast. The e36 can go up to 422 miles on a charge. Both have a variety of semi-autonomous driver assist features similar to those available on other luxury SUVs such as self-parking and semi-automated driving.
In the United States, Vinfast will sell only electric vehicles, Lohscheller said, because that’s where the company sees its largest opportunity for growth. The electric models are based on Vinfast’s own engineering, said Lohscheller.
“The entire market is completely disrupted,” he said, “so we’re going immediately to EV only, and with that we think that the market potential is growing significantly.”
Lohscheller took over as Vinfast CEO at the end of July after having been CEO of Germany’s Opel, now a subsidiary of Stellantis, for the past four years. Before that, he was a high-level executive at Volkswagen.
Vinfast has hired a number of executives, engineers and designers from around the world and that should help them understand consumers in markets like the United States and Europe, said Stephanie Brinley, an auto industry analyst with IHS Markit.
“They’re bringing them in full time, not just as consultants,” she said. “I think that’s going to help them when they try to enter this market.”
Vinfast follows…
Read More: Vinfast: Electric SUVs from Vietnam are coming to America