Bimantara plans to expand its passenger car lineup<\/p>\n
By Russell Williamson<\/p>\n
FOLLOWING the sales success of the Cakra and Nenggala cars,
\nBimantara plans to launch another small-medium Hyundai-derived
\npassenger car about the middle of next year.<\/p>\n
Although details of the vehicle remain under wraps, given the
\npresent market conditions and Hyundai's vehicle lineup, the car
\nis likely to be either the Sonata or Coupe.<\/p>\n
The Sonata is a Honda Accord\/Toyota Corona sized vehicle which
\nis available with a choice of two engines in its domestic South
\nKorean market.<\/p>\n
The two four-cylinder DOHC beta engines of 1800cc and 2000cc
\ncapacity are also joined by a 3000cc V6 available in some export
\nmarkets.<\/p>\n
The car provides plenty of space inside, good performance from
\nthe 2000cc engine with a firm yet supple suspension.<\/p>\n
Depending on the model, the vehicle is offered with standard
\nequipment, including dual air bags, antilock brakes (ABS), air
\nconditioning, electric windows and mirrors, and remote central
\nlocking.<\/p>\n
While the Sonata would be a practical choice for Bimantara to
\nround out its existing product lineup by offering a larger, more
\npowerful family sedan, the Coupe -- or Tiburon as it is known in
\nsome export markets -- would give the company an image leader.<\/p>\n
The Hyundai Coupe is a sleek muscular looking two-door coupe
\nwith seating for two adults in the front and two small children
\nin the rear.<\/p>\n
Based on the Elantra -- or Nenggala -- sedan, the Coupe is
\npowered by a choice of 1800cc or 2000cc four-cylinder engines
\ndriving the front wheels through a five-speed manual or four-
\nspeed automatic transmission.<\/p>\n
To make the most out of its sports car looks, the suspension
\nwas tuned by Porsche, which has resulted in a car which maintains
\nexcellent road manners under the harshest treatment.<\/p>\n
The ride is on the firm side to maintain stability but is not
\nso harsh as to feel every small stone through the seat of your
\npants.<\/p>\n
Front discs and rear drums provide braking power on the base
\ncar while four wheel discs with ABS are offered on the higher-
\nlevel models.<\/p>\n
Other equipment offered, depending on the model, includes
\nremote central locking, dual air bags, air conditioning, leather
\ntrim, electric windows and mirrors and a radio cassette player.<\/p>\n
The addition of either model next year will further improve
\nBimantara's fortunes and help the company build on its growing
\nsuccess in the passenger car market.<\/p>\n
Despite the drop in the overall market this year, the
\npresident director of PT Bimantara Cakra Nusa, Jongkie Sugiarto,
\nsaid the company was not affected as badly as some might think.<\/p>\n
He said although sales were slow for about six months, largely
\ndue to the national car issue, since October, there has been a
\nslight recovery in the market and orders for Cakra had well and
\ntruly exceeded expectations.<\/p>\n
\"Between March and October, there was uncertainty and people
\nwere waiting to see what happened,\" Jongkie said.<\/p>\n
\"There was uncertainty on the consumer side as well as the
\nindustry side, therefore, it is no wonder why the sales dropped
\n15 percent to 20 percent this year to about 330,000,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Since Cakra was launched at the end of July, Bimantara has
\ntaken more than 1,500 orders for the car, although Jongkie said
\nit would probably be able to only deliver about 1,100 by the end
\nof the year.<\/p>\n
\"We did not know whether people would still buy because of the
\nprice of the Timor car. But after we launched, we had a very good
\nresponses from the customers,\" Jongkie said.<\/p>\n
\"It was then hard to immediately increase the production
\nbecause of the supply from Korea and our lead time is about 4
\nmonths to 5 months,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However, while the Hyundai joint venture is proving a success,
\nthe same cannot be said for negotiations between Bimantara's
\nother potential automotive partner, Ford.<\/p>\n
Jongkie said Bimantara, through its subsidiary Indonesian
\nRepublic Motor Company (IRMC), had hoped to launch the UK-built
\nEscort early next year, however, slow negotiations on the joint
\nventure have now put that in doubt.<\/p>\n
\"There is still uncertainty about the joint venture between
\nFord Motor Company and IRMC, therefore, the launch of the Escort
\nhas to be postponed as well,\" Jongkie said.<\/p>\n
Jongkie said IRMC began negotiations with Ford about two years
\nago to try and get products from sources other than Japan.<\/p>\n
He said the problem with the Japanese-sourced Laser was that
\nit is a rebadged Mazda 323 -- a franchise which is held in
\nIndonesia by Indomobil.<\/p>\n
Jongkie said while there were a number of factors affecting
\nthe negotiations with Ford, the Timor car issue had further
\ncompounded the problems.<\/p>\n
\"The business plan has to be changed because when we were
\ntalking about the business plan there was not a national car,\"
\nJongkie said.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore the volume has to be changed and the model has to
\nbe changed and it was postponing or delaying the whole process of
\nthe JV,\" he said.<\/p>",
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