Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Today's Headlines Automotive

  • Automotive Industry: Indonesia Plans to Cut Tax for Sedan Sales

    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.

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  • Corporate Earnings Indonesia 1st Semester: Astra International

    Astra International, one of the largest publicly-listed companies in Indonesia, saw its net profit rise 31 percent year-on-year (y/y) to IDR 9.36 trillion (approx. USD $704 million) in the first half of 2017. These earnings were supported by improving earnings from most of the diversified conglomerate's business segments. But as the company generates nearly half of its earnings from the automotive sector, the 9.4 percent (y/y) increase in the company's car sales was particularly key to boost growth.

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  • These 5 Japanese Brands Control 90% of Indonesia's Car 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.

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  • Automotive Sector Indonesia: Car Sales Continue to Expand

    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.

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  • Traffic Safety in Indonesia: Most Car Tires in Bad Shape

    Goodyear Indonesia, a leading manufacturer and distributor of tires in Indonesia, encountered an interesting, and yet alarming, fact as it is holding its Ramadan Trade-In program (3-18 June 2017) in shopping centers across Jakarta, Bogor and Surabaya. Under this program people can have the tires of their cars checked at the Goodyear booths. So far around 8,000 cars have been checked and apparently 60 percent of these cars had tires that were in a bad condition.

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  • Automotive Industry: Indonesia's Car Market Accelerates in Q1-2017

    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.

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  • Indonesia's Export of Completely Built Up Car Units Surge in Q1-2017

    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.

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  • Tire Manufacturers See Rising Earnings from Indonesian Market

    Three Indonesian tire manufacturers, all listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange, are showing the same trend over the past year: earnings from the domestic market are rising, while earnings from exports are declining. This could be a sign that Indonesia's domestic automotive market has been improving or the international industry has been weakening (or both). The three tire manufacturers are Gajah Tunggal, Multistrada Arah Sarana, and Goodyear Indonesia.

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  • Automotive Market of Indonesia: Sales of City Cars Fall Sharply

    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.

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  • Mercedes-Benz Opens Its First Repair Facility in Indonesia

    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.

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Latest Columns Automotive

  • Car & Motorcycle Sales in Indonesia Continue to Fall

    Car sales in Indonesia continued to decline. Based on the latest data from the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo) Indonesian car sales (delivery to dealers) fell around 10 percent year-on-year (y/y) to 84,885 vehicles in the first month of the year from 94,194 units in January 2015. Retail sales, on the other hand, showed a 1 percentage point growth to 82,423 vehicles over the same period.

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  • No Anti-Dumping Duties on Steel Imports for Indonesia's Automotive Sector

    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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  • Outlook Indonesia's Car Sales in 2016: Optimistic or Pessimistic?

    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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  • Automotive Market Indonesia: Car Sales to Rebound in 2016

    Indonesian car sales may rise up to ten percent (y/y) to 1.1 million vehicles in 2016, from an estimated 1 million this year, amid accelerating economic growth in Indonesia. Car sales in 2015 have been disappointing, declining 18 percent (y/y) to 853,008 units in the first ten months of 2015, due to people's weakening purchasing power. Sales in 2016 are expected to be boosted by sales of the low-cost green car (LCGC), which was introduced on the Indonesian market in late-2013, and the crossover utility vehicle, a car that has gained popularity recently.

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  • Automotive Industry Indonesia Too Dependent on Imported Raw Materials

    The structure of Indonesia's automotive industry remains weak as it is too dependent on imports of raw materials, making sales prices of cars highly vulnerable to the volatile Indonesian rupiah. The automotive industry has been one of the many local industries that has been plagued by Indonesia's economic slowdown and fragile rupiah (amid looming tighter monetary policy in the USA) as people's purchasing power has weakened. In the first ten months of 2015, Indonesian car sales stood at a total of 853,008 units, down 18 percent from car sales in the same period last year.

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  • Car Industry Indonesia: Tough Times for Indomobil Sukses Internasional

    Indonesian automotive group Indomobil Sukses Internasional is facing challenges in 2015. The listed company, affiliated with the Salim Group (one of Indonesia’s largest conglomerates), is plagued by intense competition in the car industry of Indonesia, while it also feels the negative impact of the weak rupiah (which is depreciating against the US dollar). Over 2014, the company posted a net loss of IDR 128.2 billion (USD $9.9 million), down significantly from net profit of IDR 532.5 billion it recorded in the preceding year.

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  • Update Indonesian Car Industry: Car Sales Declined 8% in May 2014

    Car sales in Indonesia declined 8 percent to 98,198 units in May 2014 from 106,811 units in the previous month. The Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo) said that the decline was the direct consequence of several public holidays (International Labour Day and the commemorations of Buddha’s birthday as well as ascensions of Prophet Muhammad and Jesus Christ). These holidays caused a lower car production rate and a reduced number of car deliveries to wholesale dealers.

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  • Indonesia Most Popular Investment Destination for Japanese Expansion

    According to a survey of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), 44.9 percent of respondents assessed Indonesia as the most promising investment destination for the next three years. The respondents in this survey involved 500 Japanese companies that engage in international businesses. For Indonesia it is the first time in 21 years that it forms the preferred choice of overseas investments for Japanese companies, thus replacing China. In 2013, Japan already dominates foreign direct investment in Indonesia.

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  • Astra International (ASII) Presents First Quarter Results of 2013

    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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