After already having established its presence in the U.S., Canada, and Southeast Asia, VinFast, the young EV manufacturer from Vietnam is now setting its sights on the Middle Eastern market. Vinfast has already established a regional headquarters in Dubai and is forming strategic partnerships with local dealers in countries like Oman and the UAE.

Vinfast’s undeterred drive for global expansion comes courtesy of strong backing from Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate and Vinfast’s parent firm, Vingroup. The conglomerate operates across a diverse range of sectors, including technology-industry, trade & services, contributing nearly 1.6% to the country’s 2023 GDP. Vinfast established its Hai Phong automobile factory in 2019, achieving a world record for construction speed. Even though the brand commenced operations by selling gasoline cars, Vinfast made a bold pivot to all-electric powertrain mid-way and delivered its first EV to customers in December 2021. 

Since Volvo introduced the EX30, its smallest all-electric SUV to date, last year, the EV has garnered a lot of attention for good reasons. And when you put all those good reasons together, the outcome becomes inevitable. What outcome? The EX30, which has already won nearly 20 awards worldwide, has bagged two more – one each at the World Car Awards and Red Dot.

At the New York International Auto Show, the Volvo EX30 was crowned the 2024 World Urban Car during the World Car Awards ceremony. The EV was also named among ‘the top three cars in the world’ out of 38 nominees.

A few days later, the Volvo EX30 swung into action to bag a Red Dot accolade. Which one? The ‘Best of the Best Product Design 2024’ award. The jury, which consists of 39 experts from around the world, gave the EX30 a total of 93 points out of a possible 100. Every car in the category is judged on four parameters – the quality of function, the quality of seduction, the quality of use, and the quality of responsibility.

The Volvo EX30 is now available in the UAE via Al-Futtaim Trading Enterprises, Volvo Cars’ authorised dealer in the country. The EV starts at AED 149,900.