Mercedes-Benz has a long history in Indonesia because the nation's first president, Soekarno, decided to use a Mercedes-Benz as his presidential vehicle, hence the brand became a particular symbol of status and luxury in Indonesia. Interestingly enough, Soekarno started a tradition that is continued up to the present day. Each following president (up to Joko Widodo, the nation's seventh president) used the Mercedes-Benz as his or her presidential vehicle.

The premium car market in Indonesia is actually rather small. Only about 1 percent of total car sales in Indonesia involve premium brands. However, as Mercedes-Benz detects rising demand in Indonesia it felt the need to open a local repair facility to cater rising demand for repair services. Based on data from the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo), a total of 183,323 cars were sold in Indonesia in the January-February 2017 period, up 5.7 percent (y/y) from car sales in the same period one year earlier. Last year, a total of 1.06 million cars were sold in Indonesia.

At the opening of the repair facility, Roelof Lamberts, Chief Executive at Mercedes-Benz Distribution Indonesia, said it can handle up to 250 vehicles each month and the company employs 12 body and paint-certified experts.

Indonesian Car Sales (CBU):

Month Sold Cars
   2013
Sold Cars
   2014
Sold Cars
   2015
Sold Cars
   2016
Sold Cars
   2017
January   96,718  103,609   94,194   85,002   86,601
February  103,278  111,824   88,740   88,208   96,722
March   95,996  113,067   99,410   94,092
April  102,257  106,124   81,600   84,770
May   99,697   96,872   79,375   88,567
June  104,268  110,614   82,172   91,488
July  112,178   91,334   55,615   61,891
August   77,964   96,652   90,537   96,282
September  115,974  102,572   93,038   92,541
October  112,039  105,222   88,408   92,106
November  111,841   91,327   86,938  100,215
December   97,706   78,802   73,264   86,573
Total 1,229,916
1,208,019 1,013,291 1,061,735

 

     2009    2010    2011     2012     2013     2014     2015     2016
Car Sales
(car units)
 486,061  764,710  894,164 1,116,230
1,229,916 1,208,019 1,013,291 1,061,735
Car Exports
(car units)
  56,669   85,769  107,932  173,368  170,907  202,273  207,691

Source: Gaikindo

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