VinFast has appointed Prashanth Rao as Chief Executive Officer of its Middle East operations, the Vietnamese electric vehicle maker announced on 8 July from Dubai. The appointment hands one of the industry’s fastest expanding EV brands a regional chief with two decades of experience in Gulf automotive markets, as the company sharpens its focus on the Middle East at a moment when electric vehicle adoption across the region is gathering pace.
In the role, Rao will manage VinFast’s day-to-day operations across the region, lead strategic growth, expand dealer networks and elevate the customer experience, with a core focus on delivering sustainable mobility solutions, the company said. “The Middle East is one of the most dynamic, forward-looking mobility markets in the world right now, and the momentum toward sustainable transportation is incredible,” Rao said in the announcement. “I am honored to lead VinFast’s journey here. I look forward to working closely with our local partners and stakeholders to make EVs more accessible and deliver truly exceptional experiences for our customers.”
Rao joins the regional leadership from VinFast India, where as Deputy Chief Executive Officer he laid the groundwork for the brand’s EV operations, charging infrastructure and dealer networks. His earlier career includes senior leadership roles at Nissan INFINITI Middle East, Honda Middle East and Toyota Kirloskar Motors, where he managed operations across 19 countries, and he has spent more than 21 years leading large-scale transformations in sales, aftersales, dealer networks and customer experience. The company also noted recognition earned across his career, including multiple Nissan Global Chairman’s Awards and JD Power accolades for customer excellence.
VinFast, a member of Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate, was founded in 2017 and has scaled from a manufacturing complex in Hai Phong into an international electric vehicle brand. The company designs and manufactures a lineup of fully electric SUVs, e-scooters and e-buses, and positions itself around making sustainable mobility accessible as it expands across global markets, including North America, Europe, Asia and now the Gulf.
The appointment signals that the Middle East ranks high on VinFast’s expansion agenda. Rao’s background points to a distribution-led approach: his record at Japanese carmakers’ regional units and at VinFast India centres on dealer networks and aftersales, the operational foundations a new automotive brand needs before it can chase volume. In a regional market where competition among established and newer electric vehicle entrants is intensifying, placing an experienced Gulf operator at the helm is a reasonable indication that VinFast intends to compete for mainstream buyers rather than remain a niche presence, though the company has not yet detailed specific market entry plans.
