Vietnamese carmaker Vinfast has announced the winning designs for its sedan and SUV after polling local consumers on 20 concept designs submitted by world-famous firms.
After unveiling the possible designs early this month, Vinfast asked customers to vote which they thought were both “in line with world trends” and fitting with “Vietnamese tastes and demand”.
The two-week poll concluded on Monday. It included a total prize pool of VND1.1 billion (US$48,400).
Vinfast, the carmaking arm of Vietnam’s leading property developer Vingroup, said the concept designs had been exclusively produced for the company by Pininfarina, Zagato, Torino, and ItalDesign, four leading car design firms.
“These are the companies behind the legendary designs of Audi, Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Rolls-Royce,” Vingroup said on its website.
After counting the votes, the company announced that the Sedan 2 and SUV 2 designs, both by Ital Design, accumulated the most votes.
Sedan 2 received 22,396 votes, or 36.2 percent of the total, while SUV 2 was earned 11,833 votes, or 22.4 percent of the toal.
Nearly 62,000 participants voted in the contest.
Both designs include a V-shaped logo on the front, representing the first letter of ‘Vietnam’ and the company’s name.
Vingroup began construction of its car factory, a project with a $1-1.5 billion price tag on the first phase, in the northern city of Hai Phong early last month.
The company expects to initially produce between 100,000 and 200,000 Vinfast-branded vehicles per year, including five-seat sedans, seven-seat SUVs, and electric motorbikes.
Vinfast has since taken several steps to prove it intends to take a serious hold on Vietnam’s car market, including the appointment of James B. DeLuca, a former executive vice president of General Motors, as its general manager.
DeLuca will be charged with the construction, operation, and development of the SUV and sedan segments, according to Vingroup.
The ten concept designs for Vinfast SUVs
The ten concept designs for Vinfast sedans
Source: Tuoi Tre News