Bimantara Citra to go ahead with national car plan<\/p>\n
By Russell Williamson<\/p>\n
Bimantara is expected to go ahead with the production of a
\nnational car to rival the Timor car.<\/p>\n
Although there has been no official confirmation of the
\nproject, several Asian newspapers have reported that the
\npresident of PT Bimantara Citra, Bambang Trihatmodjo, has
\nannounced the project will proceed.<\/p>\n
The company is also in the process of building a new factory
\nat Bekasi, which could be used to build the new car.<\/p>\n
The development of the Bimantara project would pit Bambang
\nagainst his younger brother, Hutomo Mandala Putra, who is
\ndeveloping his own national car through PT Timor Putra Nasional.<\/p>\n
While Timor Putra has been granted massive tax concessions to
\nhelp its vehicle development program, it remains unlikely that
\nthe same tax breaks will be made available to Bimantara.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, Minister for Industry and Trade Tunky
\nAriwibowo confirmed that Timor Putra would be the only company to
\nreceive the concessions for at least three years.<\/p>\n
However, it is expected that Bimantara will go ahead with its
\nvehicle development plans with or without the tax incentives.<\/p>\n
The company, through its subsidiary PT Citramobil Nasional --
\na joint venture with the South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor
\nCorporation -- is already assembling and producing the Hyundai
\nElantra sedan.<\/p>\n
With such close ties already in place, it is likely that
\nBimantara's national car will be based on Hyundai's smaller
\nsedan, the Accent.<\/p>\n
The Accent was first launched in Korea in April 1994 and has
\nbeen extremely successful in both its domestic market and export
\nmarket.<\/p>\n
As a small four-door sedan, the car has a good looking rounded
\nedge to it and is able to remain distinctive in a crowd.<\/p>\n
Photographs don't appear to do the car justice as it generally
\nlooks better on the road than on paper where it appears slab-
\nsided and poorly proportioned.<\/p>\n
Inside, the cabin is fresh, with the rounded theme continued
\non the dashboard, console and fittings. Bright colors for the
\nseat and door trim fabrics lift the cabin ambience and interior
\nplastics and trims are of good quality.<\/p>\n
Indeed, the overall quality of the Accent shows evidence of
\nthe company's zeal in upgrading the way it builds cars. Paint
\ndepth and gloss, panel fit and general body tightness are all
\ncomparable to the high standards set by Japanese carmakers.<\/p>\n
Under the bonnet is Hyundai's own four-cylinder 1.5-liter
\nSeries II Alpha engine, which produces 65kW at 5,500 rpm with
\n104Nm of torque at just 2,700 rpm, running on unleaded fuel.<\/p>\n
The Alpha II engine is well mated to the car and is notable
\nfor its instant response and excellent pulling power.<\/p>\n
It is smooth and delivers its power progressively, while
\ndelivering excellent fuel economy.<\/p>\n
The only complaints from the driver's seat are the too-light
\nsteering, although it feels fine on-center; the notchy, long-
\nthrow gearshift; and the close-spaced floor pedals.<\/p>\n
The suspension comprises an independent link-type system at
\nthe rear to match the MacPherson strut front end and provides an
\nunexpectedly good ride.<\/p>\n
If the national car project goes ahead, Bimantara would be
\nhoping to aim for a high degree of local content in the car.<\/p>\n
However, with the small number of Indonesian manufacturers
\ncapable of supplying passenger car components, like the Timor
\ncars, the first models would probably remain reasonably faithful
\nto their South Korean origins.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bimantara-citra-to-go-ahead-with-national-car-plan-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}