VinFast shows first EV

VinFast, the Vietnamese automotive start-up that has shopped in Australia and especially at Holden for plenty of its engineering talent, has provided a sneak-peek at its first battery-electric model.

Shown testing on the streets of the national capital Hanoi, the as-yet-unnamed compact EV is forecast by Vinfast to go into mass production in July 2021 at the company’s brand-new factory near the coastal city of Haiphong.

A subsidiary of VinGroup, Vietnam’s largest conglomerate, and a personal ambition of owner Pham Nhat Vuong, VinFast has previously made headlines for employing David Beckham to launch its BMW-based Lux A2.0 sedan and Lux SA2.0 SUV at the 2018 Paris motor show.

It also set up an engineering office in Melbourne in late 2019, which is staffed by many former Holden employees.

Australia is also on the ambitious company’s list as part of its future retailing plan.

VinFast supplied limited details about the new EV, however, it did claim a range up to 500km between recharges and confirmed a deal with South Korea’s LG Chem to supply battery cells.

The disguise is expected to come off the new model at the Los Angles motor show in November – if it runs of course – and that reflects VinFast’s focus on the USA as a target market.

Vinfast has confirmed it engage Italian design firm Pininfarina to shape its new EV. Based on what they showed us, it does look to have a bit of Hyundai Kona EV about its shape.

Another hint of what it might look like sans disguise comes from a design sketch issued when Vinfast announced a co-operation with German engineering firm Edag to develop the car in May 2018.

Another hint is an Italdesign sketch of a VinFast EV that won a public vote in March 2018. Check them out in the photos here.

With two BMW-based models joined by the Opel Karl-based Fadil in its showrooms, VinFast claimed it sold 5124 vehicles in the first quarter of 2020, making it Vietnam’s fifth most popular car brand this year.