Lang Lang up for sale again as VinFast pulls out

spot_imgspot_img

aria-label="holden lang lang proving ground test"

Vietnamese car-maker pulls the pin on Lang Lang proving ground, leaving the old Holden site to go up for sale once more.

VinFast, an emerging Vietnamese car maker, has decided to pull out of Australia and leave its local operations and staff. The Lang Lang proving ground which it had only recently taken ownership of will be the biggest asset it sells.

The company purchased Lang Lang Proving ground from General Motors Holden just 12 months ago for $33 million and will now put the 877-hectare facility back up for sale.

The reason for VinFast’s quick turnaround comes as it shuts its Australian engineering centre in Port Melbourne and moves research and development back to the company’s home country Vietnam.

A spokesperson for the company confirmed that VinFast was abandoning operations here, and it is understood that COVID-19-related problems which strangled operations underpin its exit.

It is an unfortunate and quick end to VinFast’s Australian setup that gave ex Holden, Toyota and Ford staff jobs under the Vietnamese brand. VinFast’s Lang Lang site gave it an expansive test facility to develop new vehicles including some destined for Australia. Despite VinFast leaving, it still plans to make some models available in right-hand drive.

The future for the Lang Lang proving ground remains unknown although Lindsay Fox, who owns Phillip Island race circuit just down the road, was reportedly interested when Holden first looked for buyers.

Toyota 222D – the Group S Rally Car

This 560kW rallying MR2 could have seen Toyota conquer the stages, but instead fate intervened
spot_img

Further Reading

Xiaomi SU7: China’s Taycan rival offers more performance at half the price

It might not be quite as handsome as the Porsche it apes, but with a claimed driving range of 800km and a 3.0-second run to 100km/h, the Xiaomi SU7 should prove compelling