Tag: Electric vehicles

Vietnam – VinFast has entered a strategic partnership with Indonesian service provider PT Penta Artha Impressi (Bengkel BOS) to enhance customer service and support the growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) across the country.

Under the agreement, 12 Bengkel BOS service workshops will be authorised to carry out repair, warranty, and maintenance services for VinFast’s electric vehicle models. The workshops are located in areas including South Jakarta, West Jakarta, East Jakarta, Tangerang, and Yogyakarta.

The services will follow VinFast’s technical standards and procedures. Bengkel BOS facilities are equipped with the necessary tools and machinery to meet the automaker’s operational requirements.

In addition to servicing, Bengkel BOS will supply genuine VinFast parts and components to support vehicle upkeep and ensure product consistency across the network.

Pham Sanh Chau, CEO of VinFast Asia, commented, “To accelerate the green transition in Indonesia, we believe that building strong, long-term customer trust is paramount. To achieve this, VinFast actively collaborates with reputable partners to expand our network of authorised service workshops in Indonesia. We remain steadfast in our commitment to the three core pillars that have defined the VinFast brand: high-quality products, inclusive pricing, and outstanding after-sales service.”

The partnership aligns with VinFast’s broader plan to grow its sales and after-sales network in Indonesia, in line with the expansion of its EV offerings. As part of the collaboration, VinFast will provide training and technical support to Bengkel BOS staff to ensure service readiness as vehicle deliveries increase.

Endro Arifin, president director at PT Penta Artha Impressi (Bengkel BOS), stated, “Leveraging our experience, local expertise, and extensive service workshop network, we are honoured to become a strategic partner of VinFast on its journey to conquer the Indonesian market. Together, Bengkel BOS and VinFast are committed to delivering exceptional experiences to consumers while contributing to the continuous development of the region’s electric vehicle market.”

VinFast’s electric vehicle lineup includes models such as the mini-SUV VF 3, the A-segment VF 5, and the C-segment VF e34. Alongside its growing product range, the company is expanding its network of dealerships and service centres across Indonesia. The company is also developing a wider green mobility ecosystem through partnerships with companies such as electric taxi operator GSM and charging infrastructure provider V-GREEN.

Singapore – Composite insurer Income Insurance has launched a drive-in comedy show for electric vehicle (EV) users in Singapore. The EV-only show aims to raise awareness of EV adoption.

The comedy show features Singaporean comedians Fadzri Rashid and Eugene Soh. Through a 70-minute stand-up comedy show, Rashid and Soh will address common misperceptions and concerns about EVs.

The move is part of Income Insurance’s effort to advance Singapore’s aim of 100% cleaner energy vehicles by 2040.

Income Insurance recently launched eDrivo, its car insurance tailored specifically for EVs. The eDrivo campaign also featured Rashid and Soh, poking fun at uninsured EV drivers.

Rashid, formerly known as Fakkah Fuzz, is known for his Netflix shows ‘Almost Banned’ and ‘Too Real.’ He recently released ‘So How?’ on YouTube.

Meanwhile, Soh has held performances worldwide, bringing authenticity and humour to the growing Singaporean comedy industry.

The comedy show was held at the Republic Boulevard Open Air Carpark on March 26 to 27, 2025. Income Insurance’s eDrivo customers with promo codes received a complimentary pass to the event.

Japan – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (Nissan) and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda) have officially signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to initiate discussions on a potential business integration, which could lead to the creation of a joint holding company to unite their operations.

In an official press release, Nissan and Honda announced plans to form a joint holding company through a share transfer, making both automakers wholly owned subsidiaries of the new entity. The companies further emphasised their commitment to maintaining and equally developing the distinct brands under Honda and Nissan.

The signed MOU aims to enhance global competitiveness, enabling both companies to deliver more innovative and appealing products and services to customers worldwide.

If realized, the business integration would allow the automotive giants to combine resources, enhance synergies, adapt to market shifts, and boost long-term corporate value. By uniting their automotive, motorcycle, and power product businesses, they aim to strengthen Japan’s industrial base and deliver more innovative, appealing products worldwide.

Speaking on the announcement, Makoto Uchida, director, president, CEO, and representative executive officer of Nissan, said, “Today marks a pivotal moment as we begin discussions on business integration that has the potential to shape our future. If realized, I believe that by uniting the strengths of both companies, we can deliver unparalleled value to customers worldwide who appreciate our respective brands. Together, we can create a unique way for them to enjoy cars that neither company could achieve alone.”

Nissan and Honda said they will form an integration preparatory committee to ensure a smooth transition and identify specific synergies based on due diligence. By leveraging these synergies—such as platform standardization, R&D integration, manufacturing optimization, and supply chain efficiency—the companies aim to become a world-class mobility leader, targeting sales revenue exceeding ¥30 trillion and operating profit over ¥3 trillion. Additional benefits include enhanced sales finance capabilities, operational efficiency, and a strong talent foundation for electrification and intelligence.

Toshihiro Mibe, director and representative executive officer of Honda, said, “Creation of new mobility value by bringing together the resources including knowledge, talents, and technologies that Honda and Nissan have been developing over the long years is essential to overcome challenging environmental shifts that the auto industry is facing.”

“Honda and Nissan are two companies with distinctive strengths. We are still at the stage of starting our review, and we have not decided on a business integration yet, but in order to find a direction for the possibility of business integration by the end of January 2025, we strive to be the one and only leading company that creates new mobility value through chemical reaction that can only be driven through synthesis of the two teams,” Mibe added. 

The share transfer ratio will be finalized when the definitive agreement for the business integration is signed, based on due diligence, third-party valuations, and recent average share prices. Upon the share transfer’s effective date, Honda will appoint a majority of both internal and external directors for the joint holding company, including the president and representative director or executive officer.

It is worth noting that Nissan and Honda first signed an MOU in March to establish a strategic partnership focused on vehicle intelligence and electrification, aiming to accelerate progress toward carbon neutrality and zero traffic fatalities. Since then, they have explored collaboration across various fields.

In August, the companies signed another MOU to strengthen their partnership, agreeing to conduct joint research on next-generation software-defined vehicle (SDV) platforms, with a focus on advancing intelligence and electrification technologies.

Amid these discussions, the automotive industry has faced rapid technological advancements and shifting market dynamics. On December 18, reports surfaced from Nikkei Asia that the two companies were entering merger talks to better compete with Tesla and emerging Chinese EV makers, underscoring the urgency of their collaboration.

Singapore – The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has recently launched the first of a three-part series of films with The Secret Little Agency to demonstrate electric vehicles as a reality of Singapore’s mobility. 

While awareness of electric vehicles is high amongst Singaporeans, the campaign seeks to educate Singaporeans about the ready infrastructure supporting the adoption of electric vehicles that exist today and into the near future.

The campaign aims to ensure that electric vehicle readiness is hyper-visible to the public by making it part of everyday culture through the language of cinema. Titled ‘Now Showing on Roads Near You’, the campaign puts the power of cinema storytelling to surprising use to show how electric vehicles and its supporting infrastructure aren’t just a thing of the future but are highly present in the here and now.

https://youtu.be/ahjgNlW8SFI?si=p8NASF78QoVLM650

The first of the series touches on the EV’s longevity and range, in the style of an action thriller. Created in collaboration with Abundant Films and director Jesse James Mcelroy, the film follows a protagonist on a thrilling mission to save his family on one single electric vehicle charge. It brings the viewer through an epic journey with entertaining plot twists and turns while demonstrating just how much mileage can be achieved with a single electric vehicle charge.

Each film within the three-part series will touch on three aspects of electric vehicle readiness. With longevity being released first, the following films will tackle the ease and convenience of switching to an electric vehicle through a comprehensive charging infrastructure network, and how the electrification of public transportation drives environmental benefits – each taking on a different genre of cinema.

Talking about the campaign, Nicholas Ye & Mavis Neo, co-chief creative officers at The Secret Little Agency, said, “A cleaner future powered by electric vehicles is inevitable and something all Singaporeans can look forward to, just like an upcoming blockbuster at the cinema. And so ‘Now Showing On Roads Near You’ was born as we create the kind of sizzle that movie trailers do starting with this trailer about the amazing things you can do in just one charge.”

The upcoming two films in this three-part series are slated to be released between mid-January to early February. They will see the campaign culminating towards the Chinese New Year period.

Mumbai, India — Mahindra Racing, a motor racing team based in Banbury, United Kingdom, launched an integrated marketing campaign ahead of its participation in season 8 of ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the world’s first all-electric street racing series.

Mahindra Racing has been a founding member team of the Formula E World Championship and has been competing since 2014. Season 8 of Formula E will start on January 28th, 2022, with the Diriyah E-Prix and Mahindra Racing is geared up to make India proud.

Anand Mahindra, group chairman of Mahindra and Mahindra, kickstarted the campaign with a tweet, saying, “Racing is an intrinsic part of our lives. Whether it’s about racing to achieve our life goals or racing to catch the next local, #IndiaLovesAGoodRace. Share the kind of race you favour most or your best racing memory. I’ll be retweeting the ones I like @MahindraRacing.”

Entitled the ‘#IndiaLovesAGoodRace’ campaign, the promotion was done in collaboration with BBH India and captures the love and spirit of the racing culture in India. The film showcases the passion for racing in the country by featuring racing at a young age in the form of small toy cars to racing tyres with a stick, from paper boats in the monsoons to the Vallam Kali boat races in Kerala. Through this presentation of the love for fast-paced competition, the campaign highlights how Team Mahindra has the prestigious responsibility of representing India at the Formula E World Championship.

Commenting on the campaign, Asha Kharga, chief customer and brand officer of Mahindra, said “Mahindra Racing is the first Indian team that competes on the global motor racing stage. It’s not only about delivering a thrilling experience to racing enthusiasts but is also Mahindra Group’s commitment towards clean technology and sustainability. The film pays homage to India’s love of racing in all forms and is a flashback to the old and flash-forward to the new.”

Russell Barrett, CCO and CEO of BBH India, added, “Our country is participating at the highest level in a sport that is at the cutting edge of new. The idea was to reach a much larger group of Indian sports enthusiasts. The film shows how we have racing etched into our DNA and now Mahindra Racing is providing the adrenaline and the opportunity for us as a nation to win at a new-age global stage. All that’s needed is the fuel of support that new fans will provide.”

Hong Kong — The Hong Kong division of automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz and its exclusive dealer, Zung Fu, launch the newest electric car from EQA, an entry-level model series for Mercedes-EQ vehicles, with the ‘Electrical Jukebox’, a multisensory, innovative campaign. The promotion was done in collaboration with Isobar Hong Kong, dentsu international’s digital creative agency.

Incorporating Mercedes-Benz EQA’s philosophy, ‘Progressive Luxury’, Isobar Hong Kong introduced the first-ever music meets lightning automobile showcase to the local audiences by streaming AI-extracted soundtracks through a set of electric current emitters called Electrical Resonant Coils, playing music in lightning beams and bolts of electricity, and eventually creating an enchanting scene that best manifested the electrifying look and tech-savvy lifestyle EQA embodies.

To create the effect, chart-topping international and local songs were run through an open-source AI to split the tracks then ran through a synthesiser before it was played on electrical resonant coils to create a truly spectacular light and sound show.

To complete it, the promotion was tested in a popular Hong Kong mall where a live and interactive demonstration took place. Audiences could enjoy the electric dance and the EQA display up-close and safe through a massive jukebox, they could pick their favourite songs to “electrify” through scanning the QR codes and entering a WhatsApp chatbot and an AR app allowed them to get up close and look at the car from every angle.

Ken Lo, creative director for Isobar Hong Kong, commented on their campaign to popularize the idea that electric cars can be fun, and said, “It was really exciting to see people’s reaction when we fired up the Jukebox because no one, including the production house and our in-house creative team, believed playing music with lightning was actually feasible. Everyone thought it was CG with background music until they were standing just a few feet from the bolts of electricity.”