Astra plans to build low-priced sedan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): PT Toyota Astra Motor, a Japanese-Indonesian
\njoint venture, will produce a new sedan in 1999 with a price tag
\nof between Rp 35 million (US$14,385) and Rp 40 million, a company
\ndirector said.<\/p>\n
Johnny Darmawan said Wednesday the 1,600-cc car would be a
\nmodification of Toyota's Soluna car. This is being produced in
\nThailand in cooperation with Toyota Motors of Japan under its
\nAsia Car program.<\/p>\n
He said that Toyota Astra, a publicly listed company partly
\nowned by Toyota Motors, would invest US$75 million to build a
\nfactory in Cikampek, West Java, to produce the car.<\/p>\n
Production would start by the end of next year with an output
\nrate of about 20,000 to 30,000 cars a year, he said.<\/p>\n
Darmawan said Indonesia and Thailand were the only countries
\nappointed by Toyota Motors to produce its Asian cars.<\/p>\n
Five Indonesian companies are competing in the domestic cheap
\ncar market -- Timor, Bimantara Cakra, Suzuki Baleno, Honda City
\nand Daewoo Nexia. The Management Board for Strategic Industries
\nis now developing another cheap car, to be called Maleo.<\/p>\n
Darmawan said the domestic sedan market was likely to grow by
\n25 percent this year, with the Timor car holding a market share
\nof more than 25 percent.<\/p>\n
Last year 37,890 sedans were sold on the domestic market. (13)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/astra-plans-to-build-low-priced-sedan-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }