Indonesia remains the biggest market for cars in the ASEAN region. Based on the latest data from the ASEAN Automotive Federation a total of 3.16 million cars were sold in the ASEAN region in 2016. Around 33 percent of these total sales occurred in Indonesia, the largest economy among ASEAN countries. In 2016 a total of 1.06 million vehicles were sold in Indonesia. On second place came Thailand with 768,788 sold cars. However, in terms of car production, Thailand remains on pole position in the ASEAN region.

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In February 2017 domestic car sales in Indonesia rose 9.6 percent year-on-year (y/y) to 96,722 vehicles (from 88,208 sold vehicles in the same month one year ago), supported by the popularity of the Astra Toyota Calya and Astra Daihatsu Sigra (both are low-cost green cars) as well as strengthening purchasing power in the regions outside Java due to rising commodity prices. Also in the first month of 2017 Indonesian car sales grew on an annual basis, implying there rises optimism about Indonesia's automotive sector after having experienced two bleak years.

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Indonesia's car sales rose 3.7 percent year-on-year (y/y) to 974,972 vehicles in the first 11 months of 2016, improving from 940,027 sold vehicles in the same period one year ago. Jongkie Sugiarto, Chairman of the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo), said this year's rising car sales in Indonesia are primarily supported by the launch of various new vehicles. He added Gaikindo's 2016 car sales target of 1.05 million could still be achieved, provided December's car sales will be more than 75,000 units.

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Car sales in Indonesia rose 4 percent year-on-year (y/y) to 91,846 units in October 2016 compared to 88,408 vehicles in the same month one year earlier. Growth is attributed to the stabilizing economy of Indonesia and the launch of several new car models (that managed to entice consumers). New data from the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo) show that Indonesia's car sales totaled 874,703 units in the first ten months of 2016, up 2.5 percent (y/y) from 853,089 cars in the same period one year ago.

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Car sales in Indonesia grew 2.4 percent to around 783,000 vehicles in the first nine months of 2016 from 764,000 units sold in the same period one year earlier. Improving car sales this year are attributed to the launch of new low cost green car (LCGC) models - including the Toyota Calya and Daihatsu Sigra - at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show 2016, held between 11-21 August 2016 near Jakarta. Demand for both models, distributed by the Astra Group, is high, reflected by the two-month waiting list.

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Nissan Motor Indonesia (NMI), the Indonesia-based local unit of Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer Nissan Motor Company Ltd, started construction of a new engine and transmission parts plant in Purwakarta (West Java). The plant, which will be constructed at NMI's existing facilities in Purwakarta, covers 3,000 of square meters in size and requires an investment of around IDR 435 billion (approx. USD $33.2 million). The plant is designed to have a production capacity of 96,000 units per year.

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Car sales in Indonesia grew 11.4 percent (y/y) to 91,471 units in June 2016. Henry Tanoto, Vice President Director of Toyota Astra Motor (TAM), said the increase in car sales is supported by people's eagerness to purchase a car ahead of the Idul Fitri holiday (4 - 8 July 2016). A portion of the population buys a (new) car before going on "mudik" (a term that refers to the traditional journey made by city dwellers back to their places of origin to spend a couple of days with their families during the Idul Fitri holiday, the holiday that marks the end of the Islamic fasting month).

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Domestic car sales in Indonesia (wholesales; from factories to dealers) surged 11 percent (y/y) to 87,919 vehicles in May 2016, the second straight month of rising car sales (on a year-on-year basis). However, Jongkie Sugiarto, Chairman of the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo), reminded stakeholders not to become too enthusiastic as the rise in Indonesia's May car sales was caused by technical factors, rather than fundamental ones. Last month, the nation's car manufacturers began to deliver new models to dealers ahead of the Idul Fitri holiday.

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Last year Indonesian President Joko Widodo emphasized the importance for Indonesia to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as this free trade deal - one of the world's most ambitious trade deals, covering an area that contributes about 40 percent to total global trade - will make the Indonesian economy more efficient and its exports more competitive (while also expanding the nation's export base). However, there also exist concerns about a possible participation of Indonesia in this free trade deal. One of the concerns involves Indonesia's automotive industry.

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Car sales in Indonesia grew 4.6 percent (y/y) to 84,703 vehicles in April 2016 from 81,000 vehicles in the same month last year. This is a remarkable result as monthly car sales growth (on a year-on-year basis) had been declining for 16 straight months previously. Stakeholders in the automotive industry hope that this is the start of a rebound, in line with accelerating economic growth. In the first quarter of 2016 Indonesia's economic growth accelerated to a growth pace of 4.92 percent (y/y), higher than the 4.73 percent GDP growth pace in the same quarter last year.

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Many – including Indonesia Investments – are convinced that the electric vehicle is the automotive industry’s future. And, when we take a look at the past two decades or so, we detect a significant acceleration in the development of the electric vehicle.

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The biggest problem for western car-makers is the dominant position of Japan in Indonesia's automotive market. Japan has been dominating the Indonesian car market since the 1970s and there are no signs that this situation will change in the short or long term.

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The government of Indonesia eyes rapid growth of car exports in the two decades ahead. By the year 2035 the government targets to see car shipments from Indonesia rise to 1.5 million vehicles (from around 200,000 exported units in 2016). By that year, exported vehicles should contribute 37.5 percent of total Indonesian car sales.

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A new player in Indonesia's automotive industry - backed by big carmakers from China and the USA - is eager to compete for market share in Indonesia. On Tuesday (11/07) SGMW Motor Indonesia inaugurated its first manufacturing facility in Cikarang (West Java). This local company is a joint venture between (1) SAIC Motor Corporation Ltd, a Chinese state-owned automotive design and manufacturing company headquartered in Shanghai, (2) General Motors Company (GM), a US multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, and (3) Liuzhou Wuling Automobile Industry Co Ltd, a China-based car manufacturer.

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Indonesia's automotive industry is centered around Bekasi, Karawang and Purwakarta in West Java. In this area various big global car-makers invested in industrial estates as well as car and component manufacturing plants. Therefore, it has become the production base of Indonesia's automotive sector (including motorcycles) and can be labelled the "Detroit of Indonesia". Detroit (Michigan, USA) is the birthplace of the US automotive industry and is home to car giants General Motor, Chrysler, and Ford.

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In early 2016 Ford Motor Indonesia, the local unit of American car-maker Ford Motor Company, announced it will have completed its exit from Indonesia (and Japan) by the start of 2017. This decision was made because Ford has been unable to compete with its Japanese counterparts on the markets of Indonesia and Japan. The sudden move to exit Indonesia was not warmly welcomed by Ford Motor Co's dealers in Indonesia. The 31 Ford local dealerships demanded USD $75 million in compensation. More recently, Ford Motor Indonesia has become the center of a tax scandal.

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About a week ago Ford Motor Indonesia, the local unit of American car manufacturer Ford Motor Company, announced it decided to exit Indonesia and Japan as the firm is unable to compete with its Japanese counterparts. The Ford dealers in Indonesia are still open, meaning consumers can still buy the existing stock of Ford cars. Ford buyers can also still count on after-sales services or the purchase of spare-parts. Next year, however, these stores will be shut. Ford is still studying how to continue services (including guarantee) after 2017 for those that bought a Ford vehicle.

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The Indonesian government approved the request of Indonesia's automotive sector to be exempted from the anti-dumping duties that have been imposed on imports of steel from specific countries. Through Finance Ministry Regulation No. 65/2013 on Anti-Import Duties, the government set import duties - ranging between 7 and 55.6 percent - for steel imports from China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam in an effort to protect the domestic steel manufacturing industry amid a global steel oversupply (particularly caused by a supply glut in China).

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Whereas the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo), expects Indonesia's car sales to rise five percent (y/y) in 2016 on the back of improving economic conditions, US-based consulting firm Frost & Sullivan expects to see a 4.3 percent decline in the country's car sales this year as continued rupiah depreciation and persistently low commodity prices undermine Indonesians' purchasing power.

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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.

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