Indonesia's Car & Motorcycle Sales Fell Sharply in 2015
Both car sales and motorcycle sales declined in 2015 in Indonesia. Primary reason for this decline was people's weaker purchasing power amid the slowing economy and persistently low commodity prices. Indonesia's GDP growth is estimated to have fallen to 4.7 percent year-on-year (y/y), the slowest growth pace since 2009. Meanwhile, amid the sluggish global economy (especially China's slowdown) and falling oil prices, Indonesia gains relatively little from its commodity exports.
Car Sales Indonesia in 2015:
In full-year 2015 car sales in Indonesia fell 16.1 percent to 1.01 million vehicles, the lowest sales figure since 2011. However, this result is hardly a surprise and possibly stakeholders may feel content to see that the sales figure still managed to exceed one million vehicles last year.
The years 2014 and 2015 have been tough for Indonesia's automotive industry (as well as for other industries) due to slowing economic growth, high inflation triggered by several subsidized fuel price/policy reforms (although inflation finally eased sharply in late 2015), and weak commodity prices (causing sales to drop sharply in the commodity-rich regions of Sumatra and Kalimantan).
Toyota, distributed by Astra International, remains the most popular brand in Indonesia, accounting for a 31.8 percent market share in terms of car sales in Indonesia.
Read Column: Analysis and Overview of Indonesia's Automotive Industry
Noegardjito, Secretary of the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo), expects Indonesian car sales to grow five percent (y/y) this year on improving economic conditions.
Indonesian Car Sales (CBU):
| Month | Sold Cars 2012 | Sold Cars 2013 | Sold Cars 2014 | Sold Cars 2015 |
| January | 76,427 | 96,718 | 103,609 | 94,194 |
| February | 86,486 | 103,278 | 111,824 | 88,740 |
| March | 87,917 | 95,996 | 113,067 | 99,410 |
| April | 87,144 | 102,257 | 106,124 | 81,600 |
| May | 95,541 | 99,697 | 96,872 | 79,375 |
| June | 101,746 | 104,268 | 110,614 | 82,172 |
| July | 102,511 | 112,178 | 91,334 | 55,615 |
| August | 76,445 | 77,964 | 96,652 | 90,537 |
| September | 102,100 | 115,974 | 102,572 | 93,038 |
| October | 106,754 | 112,039 | 105,222 | 88,408 |
| November | 103,703 | 111,841 | 91,327 | 86,938 |
| December | 89,456 | 97,706 | 78,802 | 73,264 |
| Total | 1,116,230 |
1,229,916 |
1,208,019 | 1,013,291 |
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
| Indonesian Car Sales (number of car units) |
607,805 | 486,061 | 764,710 | 894,164 | 1,116,230 |
1,229,916 | 1,208,019 |
| Indonesian Exports (number of car units) |
100,982 | 56,669 | 85,769 | 107,932 | 173,368 | 170,907 | 202,273 |
| Brand | 2014 | 2015 | YoY Growth (%) |
| Toyota (Astra) | 399,746 | 322,466 | -19.3 |
| Daihatsu (Astra) | 185,226 | 167,808 | -9.4 |
| Honda | 159,147 | 159,253 | +0.06 |
| Suzuki | 154,923 | 121,805 | -21.4 |
| Mitsubishi | 141,962 | 112,527 | -20.7 |
| Nissan | 33,789 | 25,108 | -25.7 |
| Isuzu (Astra) | 28,278 | 19,350 | -31.5 |
| UD Trucks (Astra) | 854 | 560 | -34.4 |
| Peugeot (Astra) | 65 | 40 | -38.5 |
| Others | 104,029 | 84,374 | -18.9 |
| Total | 1,208,019 | 1,013,291 | -16.1 |
Source: Astra International
Motorcycle Sales Indonesia in 2015
Motorcycle sales in Indonesia in 2015 declined 17.6 percent to 6.48 million units. As usual, Indonesian motorcycle sales were dominated by sales of Honda motorcycles, followed by Yamaha. However, last year Kawasaki overtook Suzuki as the country's third-most popular motorcycle brand.
Michael Tjandra Tanadi, Head of Marketing at Kawasaki Motor Indonesia, said a change occurred in Indonesia's motorcycle market in 2015. He detected a sharp rise in consumers' interest for sport bikes.
A look at the table below shows that the main motorcycle brands sold in Indonesia all experienced declining sales figures. Honda, distributed by Astra Honda Motor, remains the market leader and in fact managed to expand its market share as the other motorcycle brands were plagued by heavier declines in sales. Tira Adianti, Head of Investor Relations at Astra International, said 2016 should be a more positive year despite ongoing external threats (such as the impact of China's economic slowdown). "In our optimistic scenario, Indonesia's motorcycle sales can grow five percent (y/y) in 2016", Adianti said.
Indonesian Motorcycle Sales:
| Month | Sold M'cycles 2012 | Sold M'cycles 2013 | Sold M'cyles 2014 | Sold M'cycles 2015 |
| January | 645,863 | 646,082 | 579,361 | 502,783 |
| February | 666,136 | 649,434 | 679,086 | 556,091 |
| March | 619,678 | 665,334 | 725,629 | 546,169 |
| April | 617,508 | 658,673 | 727,790 | 524,775 |
| May | 611,251 | 644,668 | 739,601 | 469,630 |
| June | 541,918 | 659,504 | 750,829 | 574,714 |
| July | 579,077 | 702,423 | 534,490 | 421,838 |
| August | 429,236 | 488,983 | 609,198 | 622,089 |
| September | 620,499 | 675,902 | 706,938 | 603,102 |
| October | 626,901 | 714,264 | 675,652 | 602,882 |
| November | 621,224 | 687,329 | 582,331 | 535,682 |
| December | 485,166 | 551,283 | 556,380 | 520,400 |
| Total | 7,064,457 |
7,743,879 |
7,867,195 | 6,480,155 |
Sources: AISI & Astra International
| 2013 | 2014 |
2015 | Change 2014-2015 (%) |
|
| • Total Motorcycle Sales |
7,743,879 | 7,867,195 | 6,480,155 | -17.6 |
| - Honda | 4,696,999 | 5,051,100 | 4,453,888 | -11.8 |
| - Yamaha | 2,492,596 | 2,371,082 | 1,798,630 | -24.1 |
| - Kawasaki |
151,703 | 160,371 | 115,008 | -28.2 |
| - Suzuki | 393,803 | 275,157 | 109,882 | -60.0 |
| - TVS | 8,778 | 9,575 | 2,747 | -71.3 |
Source: Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI)