The electric vehicle transition as a green window of opportunity? The case of Vietnam

The transition towards electromobility is a disruptive transformation of the global automotive industry. As any major transformation, it poses opportunities and threats to incumbents and newcomers, not only among firms but also among nations. This article first analyses the automotive industry paradigm and then discusses the implications for the case of Vietnamese carmaker Vinfast which seeks to exploit the postulated green window of opportunity, that is the idea that transformations towards sustainability represent limited opportunities of latecomer catch-up.