Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast has partnered with artificial intelligence company Autobrains to jointly develop advanced autonomous driving technologies, including a lower-cost, camera-based self-driving system.
The collaboration is aimed at strengthening VinFast’s driver assistance capabilities while reducing the cost and complexity of autonomy systems, as the automaker seeks to accelerate deployment after years of high investment and delays in self-driving development.
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Under the agreement, the two companies will focus initially on enhancing advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for upcoming VinFast electric vehicles, building on the carmaker’s existing Level 2 functionality. Pilot testing of the upgraded technology is already underway on the VinFast VF 8 and VinFast VF 9, with a phased rollout of additional features planned across the lineup.
Alongside ADAS development, the partnership will explore a new “Robo-Car” autonomous driving architecture designed to support higher levels of autonomy without relying on expensive LiDAR sensors, radar arrays or high-definition maps. Instead, the system uses seven standard cameras combined with a compact, high-performance computing chip, an approach similar to that adopted by Tesla, the companies said.
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Testing of the Robo-Car system is currently taking place in controlled areas in Hanoi, with plans to expand trials to larger cities and selected overseas markets.
For VinFast, the move comes as it continues to broaden its vehicle portfolio. The company recently introduced the VF MPV 7, a seven-seat electric multi-purpose vehicle, in its home market. The model is derived from the Limo Green commercial vehicle launched last year and is powered by a 150-kilowatt front-mounted electric motor paired with a 60.13 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, offering a claimed range of up to 450 kilometres under the NEDC cycle.
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The autonomy partnership also follows reports that VinFast is evaluating the use of small petrol engines as range extenders for some models, signalling a possible partial shift from a purely battery-electric strategy as it looks to balance costs, technology development and market demand.