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.
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.
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.
Those companies could also be opening a path for a new entrant like Vinfast, said Stephanie Brinley, an auto industry analyst with IHS Markit.
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.
Hyundai and Kia, two related South Korean brands, entered the US market in 1986 and 1992, respectively, with cheap compact cars.
While the vehicles Vinfast is bringing to the US don’t seem like tiny budget models, the company is, to some extent, following the model of their Asian predecessors, said Brinley.
In addition to the two electric SUVs, VInfast also recently unveiled its US headquarters in Los Angeles.
Bypassing independent franchised auto dealers, something electric car start-ups like Tesla and Rivian also do, has led to legal battles in a number of states where an automaker selling directly to consumers violates state laws.