HCM CITY – Automobile industry will be connected, autonomous and electric, a conference heard in HCM City on Thursday.

Nguyễn Ngọc Thành, deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s industry department, said in his inaugural speech at the “Automobile Industry in Industry 4.0” conference that the biggest changes in cars would be related to software. Cars would look like a computer, with software and electricity replacing humans and fuel.

“The automobile industry has become a field for many technology companies that have never produced cars like Google, Tesla, Uber, and Apple to make plans for automatic cars.

“This would make the car safer.”

Việt Nam has long-term strategic solutions for the automobile industry in line with the fierce competition and rapid development in the context of the fourth industrial revolution, he said.

Though few cars integrate modern technologies in Việt Nam, FPT has set up a company with 700 engineers to research since 2016, and automatic cars have been tested there, he said.

Nguyễn Nam Khang of Mercedes-Benz Việt Nam said: “Connectivity is an important feature of industry 4.0. Connectivity in the automobile industry is how to use technology in production, research and operation. This will usher in better productivity, precise production, modern technologies and smarter, safer products.

“Daimler, owner of Mercedes-Benz, is researching and developing smart, advanced technologies and electric automobiles, including cars, buses and trucks.

“Daimler is completing research into accessories like connectivity equipment, recharge stations, smart and automatic technologies for cars.

“In future cars might ‘talk’ to each other, connect with other public transport systems and become close ‘friends’ of humans.”

Nguyễn Thanh Đàm, president of VAST Group, said: “Connectivity is at the core of industry 4.0. In this context, the automobile industry will surely embrace three trends: design and manafucturing technology for the new era; technology for smart control and artificial intelligence; and connected and communication technology.

“All three development trends will serve one purpose: changing a car from a vehicle to a smart, beautiful, connected, and communicating friend.”

Nguyễn Hữu Thái Hoà, president of iBosses Việt Nam, predicted how smart cars would be in future: “The driver will choose the destination and the car will take the best route chosen by a computer and travel at a speed of 40km/h. The electrical car would carry six people weighing 500kg and easily manoeuvre itself into buildings.”

He hoped the smart car would resolve the challenge in Việt Nam of 70 per cent of the population using two-wheel vehicles, slow speeds, lack of parking space, and noise and air pollution in large cities.

The conference was held on the sidelines of the Việt Nam Motor Show, which opened in HCM City on Wednesday with 15 global auto brands showcasing 120 cars. – VNS