After almost two years of corona, looking into the future is more difficult than ever. An energy crisis has recently emerged. Chip shortages throw product but especially production schedules upside down. As a result, new models are launched on the market six months later. This is reflected in our annual personal previews, which include not only cars. Today speaking: Frank Jacobs.
For new brands you can always wake me up at night. There is already more than enough established order and I like gutsy guys who come and poke in there with a rusty poker. Speaking of guts: last year I bombed Lucid Motors in this section as my worst for 2021. Unfortunately, the Air has not yet arrived at my door. However, my optimism burns like unadulterated gasoline, so this time too I’m putting a brand new brand on my podium for the new year.
All my eyes are on Vinfast, fresh from Vietnam. Vin-who? Parent company Vingroup is already a giant in just about every branch of sport there, so why couldn’t it build good cars? Drawing might still be a thing, so that’s outsourced to Pininfarina. They have already cut the slack there and the first result, the Vinfast VF e35 (okay, nomenclature can also become a thing), is very pleasant on the retina. In real life at least, and I should know because I’ve seen it. The front is inspired by the Vietnamese rice fields, designer Kevin Rice told me; I’m not making it up.
After all, it is still important not to put the e35 on its roof, because then the Vinfast logo suddenly looks like two drops of water on the double chevron and Citroën has a brother to die for, they can tell you from experience at Polestar. So yes, that logo will be a matter for a while, but then we may have a very nice electric SUV in the course of 2022.
This article previously appeared in the AutoWeek Year Special 2022.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl