Big names put Vietnamese startup on the fast track

Brass and their pastsSome of VinFast's top managers, and their previous employers Jim DeLuca: CEO (GM) Shaun Calvert: VP manufacturing (GM) Sam Casabene: VP purchasing (Ford) Kevin Fisher: VP engineering (GM, Tata) Roy Flecknell: VP planning, program management (GM) Mitch Thomas: VP quality (GM) Don Kurowski: Director indirect purchasing (FCA) Phillip Lake: Director powertrain (Ford) David Lyon: Director design (GM) PARIS — As a kid growing up in New Jersey, Jim DeLuca saw the horrors of the U.S. war in Vietnam played out daily on the evening news.Now, at 57, the former General Motors executive sees Vietnam as home and the unexpected cradle for a reborn career.DeLuca is the buttoned-down CEO of VinFast, the fledgling Vietnamese car company that made its global debut at the Paris auto show last week.In its 16 months of existence, it has proven to be as much about the $3.5 billion automotive ambitions of Vietnam's mighty Vingroup JSC conglomerate as the auto industry's knack for seizing opportunity.Consider what DeLuca marshaled in putting a gray LUX A2.0 sedan and red LUX SA2.0 crossover on display between the Kia and Ferrari stands in Paris.The two vehicles are based on BMW technology, giving them similar proportions to the German automaker's 5 series and X5. Powering both is a four-cylinder, 2.0-liter turbo gasoline engine licensed by BMW and adapted to VinFast's specs by Austria's AVL.Germany's ZF Friedrichshafen is supplying an eight-speed automatic transmission. Vehicle engineering was done by the Canadian-Austrian combo Magna Steyr. The design? Italy's Pininfarina.The vehicles will be assembled beginning next year at a $1.5 billion, 1.6 million-square-foot plant taking shape in Dinh Vu, near Hai Phong, about 50 miles from Hanoi. The factory was co-developed by Germany's Eisenmann. Schuler supplied most of the stamping operation and Dürr, the paint shop. The engine line relies on FFG and Grob-Werke technology. Switzerland's ABB contributed about 1,200 robots for the body shop. In DeLuca's view, VinFast avoided a lot of risk by taking this course.

Big names put Vietnamese startup on the fast track

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