Vietnamese EV maker, VinFast, is quickly making a name for itself across the globe, and now it's teaming up with ZF to create autonomous driving systems.

The company first surfaced three years ago with an SUV based on the old X5 and has remained in the news since then, with plans to launch in the USA soon including three new vehicles that were just unveiled. That's more than can be said of 90% of the electric upstarts we've come across since launching this website.

VinFast is not always in the news for the right reasons, however. In early 2021 it reported a YouTuber to the police following an unfavorable report, and it recently lost its CEO after just six months on the job.

Still, the manufacturer's end goal is to build a factory and a headquarters in California by 2024. In short, this Vietnamese company wants to immigrate to the US and become a citizen. And then it wants to take on the Tesla Model X.

VinFast is currently in the process of raising funds to set up shop in the US, but that's not all.

As mentioned earlier, VinFast is teaming up with ZF to create autonomous driving technology. The famed German group is known for its gearboxes, but it also has a global engineering department that focuses on other technologies. These operations span across Germany, North America, and China.

The partnership will see ZF supply advanced sensors, computing platforms, and software to create automated driving and parking functions for Level 2 autonomous vehicles. The collaboration will continue for several years while both manufacturers work on Level 3 autonomous features.

"Our companies are an outstanding match as our goals for mobility are perfectly aligned," said VinFast Global CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy. "The future is both electric and automated as we seek to help protect our environment while providing transportation that enhances safety, convenience, and efficiency. We will work together to achieve this vision for VinFast customers as we expand our sales around the world."

"We look forward to working with VinFast to bring higher levels of autonomy to their light passenger vehicles," said ZF Board of Management Member Martin Fischer. "Elevating the capabilities of all forms of mobility is our goal. The design and development of higher-level AD systems will assist drivers all over the world in enjoying enhanced degrees of safety, convenience, and intelligence. This is our vision when we talk about The Next Generation of Mobility and one proof point of how we are making this a reality, now."