Written by Cláudio Afonso | info@claudio-afonso.com | LinkedIn | Twitter
The Vietnamese EV maker VinFast announced Sunday a global partnership to become the first ever naming rights partner of the Ironman U.S. Series from 2022. VinFast will be the title partner for the 2022 Ironman World Championship and the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship until 2025.
The automaker will provide unique experiences onsite at IRONMAN races with opportunities for participants and fans to test drive its EV models.
In addition, the partnership — signed on July 23 in Nha Trang, during the Vingroup Elite Vietnam Tour 3 — also includes the Exclusive Electric Vehicle Partner of the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 Series in the U.S., Europe, and Asia through 2025.
“The IRONMAN Group is delighted to have developed with VinFast a comprehensive and far-reaching partnership, inclusive of our pinnacle IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship events,” said Andrew Messick, President and Chief Executive Officer for The IRONMAN Group. “We value the way VinFast pushes the boundaries forward through their smart and eco-friendly electric vehicles to create a sustainable future for all. This is much like the spirit of IRONMAN and our athletes to break through and surpass preconceived boundaries.”
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Ms. Le Thi Thu Thuy, Vingroup Vice Chairwoman and VinFast Global CEO stated: “Sharing the spirit that ‘Anything is Possible,’ we are honored to be a Premier Partner of IRONMAN & IRONMAN 70.3 Series. We are proud to be part of the moments that push people beyond their boundaries, and beyond what many have thought is humanly possible. We are certain that our electric mobility will strongly underpin the journeys of IRONMAN athletes around the world to be boundless.”
Last week, the EV maker received a $1.2 billion incentive package from the State of North Carolina for its electric vehicle manufacturing project in the US designed to produce 150,000 vehicles per year. VinFast will start the construction of the 2,000 acres facility in the upcoming months with the production expected to commence in July 2024.
The package is the largest economic incentive in state history and was signed by Governor Roy Cooper and will allow the EV maker to build the factory at the Triangle Innovation Point in Chatham County with a total investment of about $2 billion USD in the first phase.
VinFast is expanding to the U.S. market with the simultaneous opening of six stores in California. The opening ceremony was held on Thursday at Santa Monica’s store located at Santa Monica Place shopping center where customers could explore VinFast’s electric SUVs – the VF 8 and VF 9.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | info@claudio-afonso.com | LinkedIn | Twitter
