Vietnam-based Phenikaa Group last week showcased a prototype of its autonomous vehicle, which is considered the first of its kind to be produced in Vietnam.

The driverless automobile was introduced by the multi-sectoral corporation during a conference on autonomous technology and smart transportation in Hanoi on March 26.

The vehicle is equipped with some 40 self-driving features of level four as per the standards of the Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE International), in which level five is the highest.

It is advertised as an eco-friendly automobile with artificial intelligence (AI) integration as well as smart functions such as 2D/3D maps, Lidar sensors, simultaneous localization, and mapping technology (SLAM).

Phenikaa's autonomous vehicle is driverless and users can take control of it via a customized application.

However, the design will not be launched commercially until it is optimized to reduce production cost, while still passing safety tests in the next trial phases.

"We hope the introduction of the first smart autonomous vehicle in Vietnam will facilitate the development of the self-driving car industry, localize technological products, and satisfy the market demand for high-quality, internationally standardized products and services," Le Anh Son, CEO of Phenikaa-X, the automation and robot subsidiary of Phenikaa, said.

Phenikaa-X is also looking to nurture a high-quality workforce for the automation industry.

"We don't embrace a dream of becoming an automaker," Ho Xuan Nang, chairman of Phenikaa University, said.

"When investing in this project, our first target is to create useful and good high-tech products for daily life."

Last week, Phenikaa Group signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in automation research and development with leading names in the sector, including Nippon Koei Vietnam, SICK Sensor Intelligence, Advantech Vietnam Technology Co. Ltd., BAP Group, and VEDAX.

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