The parties expect to complete the development process in the second quarter of 2023 and hope to bring the product to market soon.

With this agreement, the vehicle IVI systems manufactured by Motrex will be integrated with the Kiki Vietnamese voice assistant. This will bring a better experience for Vietnamese speakers when using voice technology to play music, find directions, adjust the volume control, and perform many other tasks through the IVI systems on the vehicles.

The signing event saw the participation of Kim Junseon, general director of Motrex, Vu Tuan Anh, director of TCMS, Nguyen Trong Van, COO of Kiki, and other senior leaders from the three parties

This handshake between the three parties is expected to bring a breath of fresh air to the automotive industry in Vietnam, helping to increase the volume of product localisation while also meeting the demands of local users.

The cooperation between giants in the industry

TCMS is a member of Thanh Cong Group (TC Group), known as the exclusive assembler and distributor of Motrex's audio, video, and navigation equipment in Vietnam for a number of auto brands.

At the end of 2022, TC Group inaugurated the second Hyundai car factory in Vietnam in Gian Khau Industrial Park, Ninh Binh. The factory has a total designed capacity of 100,000 vehicles per year.

Over the past year, this group has achieved a revenue of approximately $5 billion, with the auto industry being the main pillar that has helped the group join the top 10 largest private corporations in Vietnam.

Motrex is a major provider of multimedia entertainment solutions to the Asian automotive market. Established in 2001, it has now expanded its business and developed into a global company, supplying products to more than 70 countries through nine branches located around the world.

Motrex will coordinate with Zalo AI's engineering team to configure the Kiki assistant to be the most compatible solution that provides the best user experience

Under the partnership, Motrex will coordinate with Zalo AI's engineering team to configure the Kiki voice assistant to ensure it fully compatible with the IVI systems. The integration of the Vietnamese voice assistant is focussed on providing a better customer experience.

Zalo AI is one of the tech organisations that invested in and developed AI technology in Vietnam very early, and is also the developer of the Kiki voice assistant – known as the most popular Vietnamese voice assistant, with 300,000 vehicle installations in March 2023.

It is highly appreciated for its fluent Vietnamese language ability, understanding of the local culture, as well as the tastes and needs of local users.

The prospects and benefits for Vietnamese consumers

Speaking at the MoU ceremony, Junseon Kim, a representative of Motrex Korea, said this is an important moment in the technological shift in automotive products, both in terms of engines and in-house infotainment systems. Trends in user experience are gradually changing, and with the integration of the Kiki intelligent voice assistant, users will have a convenient and optimal driving experience.

"Zalo AI is integrated with a multiservice ecosystem including Zalo, Zing MP3, and Kiki's voice recognition solution. With the foundation of strong technical capabilities and diverse solutions, the cooperation between Motrex, TCMS, and Zalo AI will bring many benefits to users and contribute to promoting the smart car market," Kim said.

Nguyen Trong Van, COO of Kiki, also believes that this cooperation will bring long-term and sustainable value. Consumers will receive more practical benefits without additional cost while enjoying the smart utilities available on the vehicle.

Through this cooperation, the parties agree to integrate Kiki into products provided by Motrex to help control volume, provide navigation, and perform voice requests such as playing music, showing directions, and doing other tasks inside the car.

Moreover, the parties also agreed to seek to expand the cooperation in the future, aiming for long-term cohesion through comprehensive integration with Zing MP3 and Zalo.

Vietnam's auto industry has a fruitful future.

This event demonstrates the foresight of the parties, and is a new milestone for Motrex and TCMS in covering the Vietnamese car market, demonstrating a high level of localisation in response to the increasing demands of Vietnamese customers. This can be seen as significant in light of the increasing popularity of smart gadgets, and the demands for touchless controls.

This event also promises to open many new opportunities for integrating AI into modern cars, contributing to changing the Vietnamese auto market in the future.

In the era of smart cars, built-in car voice assistants can be seen as a global trend that is rapidly growing in the Asia-Pacific region. Statistics reveal that having a built-in voice assistant in a vehicle directly impacts consumers' purchasing decisions.

In the Vietnamese market, the combination of Zalo AI, Motrex, and TCMS also shows the companies pioneering efforts in developing a localised IVI system with the integration of a pure Vietnamese voice assistant. This strategy revolves around the needs of consumers and the demands of companies in Vietnam.

The integration of this smart voice assistant, Kiki, is expected to become a trend in the Vietnamese automobile industry, benefiting not only users but also helping manufacturers and distributors increase their market share.