Car accessories reflect the owners' tastes

By I. Christianto

JAKARTA (JP): Not only the brand or the type of car reflects on a driver or car owner, accessories also play a big part.

Accessories like fog lamps put on the rear of a car, or sophisticated shooting lamps, may reflect the owner's thoughtlessness toward others while driving. Because to turn on fog lamps or shooting lamps which are not installed in the right position may trouble other drivers.

But there are also futuristic accessories like the "real mobile" Internet for more "civilized" drivers or owners.

Checking e-mails from a mobile phone or a PDA, anywhere and anytime, has been a reality for a while. But soon people will be able to have real Internet access in their cars while they are really mobile and moving in the vehicles.

It is the mobile Internet era and people are carrying cell phones which function not only as a device for communications but much more in accordance with the vast developments in information technology (IT). And why not install special devices in cars?

The hardware and software, as well as telecommunications and computer-related industries, are working to develop such devices. Microsoft, for instance, is preparing car.NET which will link a car to the Internet. This will be a sophisticated accessory for car owners or drivers who are hooked on the Internet.

People in Indonesia, however, will most probably have to wait for a longer time before being able to purchase these products. Anyway, they are more fond of decorative car accessories.

Another sophisticated accessory for cars is the satellite- based global positioning system (GPS). This device is useful for those who want to track the position of their car.

A leading Indonesian taxi operator plans to install GPS in its cabs soon, just to improve customer services. Taxi locations can be tracked faster, so customers will not have to wait longer.

Since the GPS system will give a taxi's position, to find lost or stolen cars equipped with GPS will also be easier.

Prestige

However, most car owners in Indonesia, particularly in Jakarta, are more fond of installing decorative accessories to show their prestige.

Lisda, a car-accessory shop owner, said that she frequently met car owners who wanted to decorate their cars with superfluous accessories.

"I often find my customers want to have fog or shooting lamps at the rear of the cars. I don't know what for. Most of them are usually young men, but sometimes also women."

Lisda who has run her business for 18 years said that car owners frequently copied what others had done without considering the purpose.

"Sometimes I try to tell them that it will bother other drivers if they turn the lamps on at night while driving in the city," she said.

She said that some customers also wanted to have their cars decorated with wheel frames.

"To install such frames, part of the car's body must be drilled, and this may cause corrosion if the maintenance is not good. So it is useless, may even cause car troubles," she said.

She said that the most wanted accessories included audio systems, leather seat covers and alarm systems.

Angkro Yuda, head of the branch office of PT Varia Baru, a car accessories supplier, agreed.

"Car accessories can be divided into two types, exterior and interior. It can also be categorized based on the function, for security or convenience," he said.

He said that for interior purposes most car owners also wanted to have power windows, timers, safety belts, carpet and air conditioning.

"Usually they want the accessories for certain types of vans which are not equipped with such items by carmakers for cheaper price tags," he said.

Angkro said that for exterior accessories, most van owners also want to add a bull bar or front bumper guard, rear upper brake lamps and glass film.

"All of that is for security. A front bumper guard will protect the passengers and driver in an accident, upper brake lamps at the rear part can be seen by bus drivers, and, in addition to stopping hot sunlight getting into the car, glass film will stop broken glass in an accident," he said.

He added that most van owners also wanted to have decorative exterior accessories including foot steps, electric mirrors, body frame, a roof rack and a rear wiper.

"I always suggest the owners to have original accessories for better quality," he said, adding that other products might have much cheaper prices, up to 300 percent cheaper, but the quality was far worse.

He said that vans were now the popular vehicle in Indonesia, which is why his company specialized in vans and minibuses.

"Car accessories are just like the fashion industry, there are popular models and types, and people are always looking for the newest ones, just like buying a new vehicle," he said.

Based on data from the Indonesian Association of Automotive Industries, the demand for vans was significant in recent years.

Last year, light-van sales passed 200,000, or more than half of total car sales nationwide.

Various carmakers have also introduced minicars, including Daihatsu's Taruna, Mitsubishi's Kuda, Hyundai's Atoz, KIA's Visto and the A-class Mercedes, as the market for such a type here is considered promising.

The writer is a regular contributor to The Jakarta Post.