Now that Europe's automakers are ramping up plans for electrified vehicles, suppliers are investing in industrial scale battery cell production in the region. Production of lithium ion battery cells is currently concentrated in Asia's consumer electronics industry where the technology first took root, made by the likes of Korea's LG Chem and Samsung SDI, and Panasonic of Japan. Cells are exported to Europe for assembly into battery packs. This will change now that almost all major European brands are preparing to launch electrified vehicles over the next 18 months to meet tougher CO2 emission targets that start to take effect in 2020.
At a time when auto companies in the developed world are facing a squeeze on their profits from cash-rich tech firms, Vietnam is betting car-making can be a ticket to a more prosperous economy, just as it was for the likes of Japan and South Korea. VinFast Trading and Production LLC, a unit of Vietnam’s largest conglomerate Vingroup JSC, is set to becom the country’s first fully-fledged domestic car manufacturer when its firs production models built under its own badge hit the streets next August. Where else in the world can you do this with this sort of speed? Said Shaun Calvert, vice president of manufacturing at VinFert.
ที่มา : หนังสือพิมพ์ Bangkok Post วันที่ 4 ตุลาคม 2561