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Today's Headlines Automotive Industry
The Indonesian government officially announced it will use the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) standard as the reference for the nation's local Indonesian National Standard (in Indonesian: Standardisasi Nasional Indonesia, or SNI) with regard to various automotive components.
The latest data from the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo) show Indonesia's wholesale car sales rose 37.54 percent year-on-year (y/y) to 85,131 vehicles in July 2017. However, these data are distorted because the Ramadan and Idul Fitri celebrations fell in June this year, while they fell in July last year (implying there were much less workdays in July 2016). What were the 10 most sold cars in Indonesia in July 2017?
For several years stakeholders in Indonesia's automotive industry urged the government to cut taxes on sedan sales. Finally, the government seems willing to alter its policies. The sedan is categorized as a luxury good, implying it is subject to an additional 30-40 percent luxury goods tax. This makes the sedan vehicle more expensive compared to other car types and therefore there exists less demand for the Indonesian-made sedan, both on the domestic market and international market.
Five automotive brands from Japan controlled car sales in Indonesia in the first half of 2017 with a dominating (combined) market share of about 90 percent. Based on data from the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo), Toyota, Daihatsu, Honda, Mitsubishi and Suzuki accounted for about 90 percent of total car sales in Indonesia during the January-June 2017 period. In total, 533,903 car units were sold in this six-month period.
Car sales in Indonesia in May 2017 were in line with expectations. The Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo) said car sales in the month prior to Idul Fitri (the celebrations that mark the end of the Ramadan month) always tend to show a modest rise every year, specifically passenger cars.
Sales of buses (those used for commercial purposes) are growing sharply in Indonesia so far in 2017 and this gives a positive signal to factories. In fact, growth of bus sales, by far, outpaces growth of the whole automotive sector in the first couple of months of 2017. While total sales in Indonesia's automotive sector grew by a modest 5.72 percent year-on-year (y/y) to 282,596 units in the January-March 2017 period, sales of buses grew 30.43 percent (y/y) to 840 in the first four months of 2017.
The production of cars in Indonesia rose 11.97 percent year-on-year (y/y) to 319,241 units in the first quarter of 2017, a significant increase that indicates the economy is improving. Meanwhile, local manufacturers are convinced the low cost green car vehicle will continue to boost sales and strengthen the competitiveness of Indonesia's automotive industry.
Indonesian exports of completely built up (CBU) car units surged in the first quarter of 2017, a development that may indicate that global economic growth is improving (specifically in the export destination nations). Based on data from the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo) Indonesia exported 56,371 units in Q1-2017, up 53.4 percent year-on-year (y/y) from 36,750 units in the same period one year earlier.
The declining trend of city car sales continues in Indonesia. In the first two months of 2017 sales of city cars fell 41.8 percent to 2,511 units on a year-on-year (y/y) basis. This is not a new phenomenon. Ever since the low cost green car (LCGC) was introduced to the Indonesian market in late-2013, city car sales have been on the decline. In full-year 2016 city car sales had fallen 38.4 percent (y/y). A city car is a small car designed to be used primarily in (con)urban areas.
Although Mercedes-Benz has a long history in Indonesia, it only opened its first body and paint service center in Southeast Asia's largest economy on Friday (31/03). The facility's exact location is the Cakrawala Automotif Rabhasa facility, plotted on 11,000 square meters of land in Tangerang (Banten). Here consumers can bring their Mercedez-Benz for authorized repair services with quality and safety assurance that is certified by Germany's Daimler, Mercedes' parent company.
Latest Columns Automotive Industry
After China and India, Indonesia is currently the third most important investment destination for Japanese investments in the manufacturing sector. In 2011, Indonesia - Southeast Asia's largest economy - was still ranked number five on that list. However, in recent years the country managed to surpass Thailand and Vietnam. This fact indicates the important link between Indonesia and Japan. The chief executive officer of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Hiroshi Watanabe, confirmed these findings.
Indonesia's largest company by market capitalization is still HM Sampoerna, the country's largest tobacco company. The company has been the top company in Indonesia since March 2013 when it replaced Astra International, Indonesia's largest diversified conglomerate, on the top spot. Astra had been Indonesia's largest company since 2010. Currently, the third-largest company in terms of market capitalization is Unilever Indonesia. Unilever, which is Indonesia’s largest consumer goods producer, jumped four places in the ranking since late 2012.
Along with the increasing purchasing power of Indonesian people, purchases of motor vehicles (such as motorcycles and cars) in Indonesia, continue to grow. However, based on data from the Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI), motorcycle sales fell by 12 percent in 2012, from 8.01 million units in 2011 to 7.06 million units in 2012. One reason behind this fall was the implementation of new government policy regarding down payment requirements (which have been imposed on vehicle loans since mid-2012).
In recent years, Indonesia's car sales have shown robust growth, culminating in a record high number of 1.12 million sold car units in 2012. This is an important statistic because car sales inform us about the state of the economy. Generally, rising car sales indicate an expanding economy while declining car sales indicate that the economy is slowing down. When we take a look at the table below, there is a link visible between Indonesia's GDP growth and rising car sales, except for 2011 to 2012 when GDP growth declined while car sales rose.
Indonesian car sales in the first four months of 2013 continued its robust growth. Preliminary data from Agen Pemegang Merek (Brand Holder Agent or APM) indicates that from January to April of 2013 397,991 car units were sold in Indonesia, which constitutes a 17.75 percent increase compared to the first four months of 2012. Toyota retained its position as market leader with a market share of 35.9 percent. However, sales of Honda and Suzuki vehicles are growing fast in Indonesia.
Astra International, Indonesia's largest listed company by market capitalization, presented its Q1-2013 financial results yesterday. The company, which represents the dominating force in Indonesia's automotive sector, posted a seven percent fall in net earnings (YoY) to IDR 4,310 trillion (USD $444.3 million) amid Indonesia's rising labour costs, weak commodity prices, increased competition in the country's car sector and effects of new minimum down-payment regulations in automotive Shariah-financing.
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