Some big names might not be in Paris this year, but Vietnam’s VinFast wouldn’t miss it.
In June, Vietnam’s first high-volume automaker broke cover, announcing its intent to debut vehicles at this year’s Paris Motor Show. Now, we have an idea of what they’ll look like. Andrew Krok reports on CNET
VinFast unveiled two teasers ahead of its debuts at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. Neither vehicle has a name yet, but that’s fine, because it’s not hard to tell the two apart — one’s a sedan, and one’s an SUV. The sketches you see are the result of a voting campaign that showed Vietnamese citizens multiple vehicles and asked them to pick their favorites.
Both cars look sharp, like the lovechild of an Alfa Romeo and a Tesla. But their appearances shouldn’t come as a surprise, even from a brand-new automaker — Pininfarina, the legendary design house responsible for multiple Ferrari models and one very cool soft drink dispenser, is helping develop these two vehicles. That name recognition will certainly help VinFast’s aspirations.
There’s still a ways between the debuts and actual production, though. Following the Paris show this October, VinFast believes its vehicles will be ready for sale in its home market in September 2019. The company says other vehicles are already in the pipeline, and it hopes to export its cars to other markets “in the coming years.”
Even though the country relies heavily on two-wheeled implements for travel, VinFast wants its operation to be 100 percent Vietnamese. To that end, the automaker is currently building a 35-million-square-foot facility in Hai Phong, which is in the northern part of the country. Considering how excited the company is to be in Paris later this year, odds are we’ll be hearing more about VinFast before the show even begins.