Vietnamese carmaker VinFast has entered the Australian market by opening a research and development center in Melbourne on June 11 as part of its strategic plan to go global.

VinFast Australia is located next to Melbourne’s Financial and Economic Center and Monash University, in addition to many large-scale research facilities. Such a prime location is convenient for research development and business activities.

The Australia-based office will research and develop new automobile models including gasoline-driven and electric cars, as well as lay the foundation for the carmaker’s global expansion, realizing its goal to become a global car brand by connecting with leading suppliers.

The new office employs some one hundred official employees, who are high-profile experts and engineers from the world’s leading automobile corporations such as GM, Toyota, Ford and Jaguar Land Rover.

Being considered a “headquarters” of many major car manufacturers including Toyota, Ford, Mitsubishi and GM, Melbourne has several existing facilities, supply chains and manpower with a wealth of experience in the automobile industry.

VinFast, a subsidiary of Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup, tested its first electric car in the capital city of Hanoi late last month to prepare for the new model’s debut by the end of the year. The carmaker is set to launch the new electric model at the Los Angeles Auto Show in the United States in November.

Source: Saigon times