Indonesia June 2017: Market down 27%, Wuling Confero S lands

The Wuling Confero S is now produced locally in Indonesia. Picture mobil123.com

* See the Top 20 best-selling models by clicking on the title *

The Indonesian new car market is down a harsh 27% year-on-year in June to 66.755, yet the year-to-date tally remains in positive territory – just – at +0.3% to 533.903 units. An interesting trivia: according to local publication theinsiderstories.com, monthly car registrations in Indonesia have averaged 54.341 units from 1999 until 2017, reaching an all time high of 115.974 in September 2013 and a record low of 1.898 in January 1999 in the midst of the economic crisis that touched the country at the time.

The Toyota Avanza continues to dominate the ranking despite a larger-than-market 45% drop, remaining below 10% share. This month the rest of the Top 10 is completely reshuffled, with some Daihatsu models selling more than their Toyota twins, a rare feat. For example, the Daihatsu Ayla (-34%) is above the Toyota Agya (-31%) and the Daihatsu Sigra above the Toyota Calya for the first time ever. Notice the Suzuki Ertiga falling slower than the market at -8% and the Honda HR-V up 74% to #9.

But the big news at the moment in Indonesia is the opening of Chinese low-cost MPV-maker Wuling’s local factory in Cikarang, West Java, inaugurated on July 11. One year ago we mentioned that the motivation for Toyota to launch the Calya-Sigra utra-low-cost MPV tandem was to preempt the arrival of Wuling. Low-cost MPVs are what Indonesian customers are most fond of so it makes total sense for Wuling to create the first Indonesian car factory for a Chinese carmaker. It has started selling the Confero S, a rebadged Hongguang S1 – the #1 vehicle in China – and will launch the 730 MPV to compete with the Kijang Innova and 310 hatch to fight the Toyota Agya/Daihatsu Ayla in 2018. We feel that all three models have great potential on the Indonesian market. The factory has an annual capacity of 120.000 units but only 8.000 Confero S are scheduled to be produced in 2017, so we may not see the nameplate crack the monthly Top 20 just yet…

Previous month: Indonesia May 2017: Toyota Kijang Innova overtakes Calya to #2

One year ago: Indonesia June-July 2016: Toyota Sienta, Cayla and Daihatsu Sigra land

Full June 2017 Top 20 models ranking table below.