The documentary, premiering on Friday 27 March at 8:05pm, spotlights Vietnam’s fight for the region’s auto crown driven by Vietnam’s First Automaker VinFast
It is no secret that Vietnam is Southeast Asia’s rising star. From agriculture to finance and technology, the country is flourishing with a thriving start-up ecosystem and has pulled away from the pack to become a pacesetter for the region. Vietnam is now ready for the next step in its grand ambition to become the new automotive hub of Southeast Asia.
With its motorbike filled motorways, Vietnam has never been a country that’s been associated with the production of cars. But VinFast, Vietnam’s first automotive manufacturer, is driving the charge to shift perceptions of the country from being a car assembly shop to a major automotive manufacturer.
In a new documentary, ‘Geared for the Future’, premiering on Discovery Channel [Astro Channel 551] at 8:05pm and Discovery Asia [Astro Channel 571] at 8:45pm on Friday 27 March in Malaysia, race driver and car enthusiast Claire Jedrek, gets inside the action as VinFast sets its eyes to compete on the global automotive stage. In this Discovery special, Claire speaks to experts and key industry players including Dr Trần Đình Thiên, member of the Economic Advisory Group of Vietnamese Prime Minister, motoring expert Keshvinder Singh Dhillon (Keshy) and Ms Van Anh, Deputy CEO of VinFast, to uncover the story of Vietnam’s miracle growth and VinFast’s journey and goal of becoming the biggest automaker in Southeast Asia.
VinFast is fast proving itself as a major driving force after building Vietnam’s first homegrown car brand from scratch. In 2018, the company successfully launched its first car models within a span of just two years with an estimated investment of USD3.5 billion. It only took them 21 months to build a factory, complete car design, and start mass production – creating a record in the global automotive industry.
Claire visits Southeast Asia’s first fully digital automotive factory and navigates the state-of-the-art technology that gets the job done. She learns the challenges behind creating a car that would appeal to the Vietnamese people, and at the test track, puts a VinFast car to the test.
These made-in-Vietnam cars may have just hit the market, but the company is ready to go full throttle in leading the future of car manufacturing. In a fast and furious manner, VinFast is already stirring up the domestic automobile market. To date, the company has already received more than 17,000 car orders that are expected to line the streets of Vietnam very soon. But it’s not stopping there. VinFast is revving up to change automotive history and aims to roll out luxury cars, SUVs, electric motorbikes and buses for all of Southeast Asia and beyond.
With grand ambitions backed by technological expertise and steady economic growth, VinFast looks all set to break records as it seeks to dominate the global stage, starting with a launch into America in 2021. One thing is for sure – VinFast is quickly picking up speed and going places.
