If Holden had the chance to design another ute for Australia, what would it have looked like?
A new dual-cab utility concept from Vietnamese challenger brand Vinfast provides clues. That’s because the Vinfast VF Wild, recently unveiled in Las Vegas, USA, is designed in Melbourne partly by stylists who help penned generations of Holden Commodore.
At 5324mm long and 1997mm wide, the Vinfast VF Wild previews a future electric dual-cab ute from the Vietnamese brand, with pillar-less, barn-opening passenger doors, video side mirrors and a clever power-folding mid-gate which can extend the tray length by 92cm (to 244cm) when not using the rear seats.
With its minuscule front overhang and long wheelbase, the left-hand-drive vehicle also has in-built steps to access the rear tray, like the Ford Ranger (of which it’s about the same size). Squared-off wheel arches complete the rugged look, while a full-length LED strip gives the Vinfast ute a high-tech, futuristic vibe.
Inside, there’s an entirely flat floor, digital displays for instruments and infotainment and a panoramic sunroof. Vinfast said more than 8000 hours of design work went into its creation, the VF Wild going from blank piece of paper to completed design in just six months – extremely rapid in the world of car design.
No details have been released about power, range, payload or towing capacity, but TorqueCafe would guess the usual electric vehicle format of two powertrains comprising single-motor rear-drive and dual-motor all-wheel-drive variants. Battery capacities could vary depending on required range.
With Vinfast aggressively targeting the lucrative US market, there’s no word on whether a production-ready VF Wild would come to Australia, either – despite its Aussie connection.
The Vinfast VF Wild represents the first time an independent Australian design studio – Gomotiv – has been responsible for designing both a concept and production vehicle for a global automaker.
Based in Abbotsford in inner-city Melbourne, Gomotiv’s Creative Director is Justin Thompson, who served as General Motors’ Design Manager in Port Melbourne for more than 20 years. Thompson was responsible for the exterior design of the VF Commodore, worked on VE Commodore, WM Statesman, V2 Monaro and VY Commodore. Thompson even designed V8 Supercar liveries for the Holden Racing Team, K-Mart Racing, Tasman Motorsport, Supercheap Auto Racing and Garry Rogers Motorsport in 2004 and 2005.
Established in 2020, GoMotiv’s small team of designers have collective experience across the automotive world, from Ford to General Motors and Holden, Nissan, Toyota, McLaren, Jaguar and Kia.
Vinfast also recently revealed the VF3 mini electric SUV, another vehicle designed in Melbourne by GoMotiv.
Founded in 2017 by Vietnamese billionaire property tycoon Pham Nhat Vuong, Vinfast has other history with former Holden assets, having purchased the Holden Lang Lang Proving Ground in Victoria in 2020. Vinfast relisted the property for sale in 2021.
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