Car Sales Plunge 13.8 Percent in March 2026
The Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo) recorded a 13.8 percent year-on-year plunge in car sales for March 2026. “The decline in March was due to the long Eid al-Fitr holiday,” said Gaikindo’s First Chairman Jongkie Sugiarto via text message on Sunday, 13 April 2026.
Gaikindo’s data showed that 61,271 car units were sold from factories to dealers, or wholesale, in March 2026. This figure was down from the 71,099 units sold in March 2025.
The sales decline also affected the retail category. Gaikindo recorded 66,637 retail sales units in March 2026, a 13.2 percent drop compared to the same period the previous year.
Compared to the two preceding months, March 2026 car sales represented the lowest. The decline in March 2026 occurred for both electric vehicles and petrol (ICE) types.
For instance, wholesale car sales in February 2026 were recorded at 81,250 units. Over three consecutive months, non-LCGC ICE car sales remained dominant. The highest sales of non-LCGC ICE cars throughout the first quarter of this year occurred in February 2026 with 51,063 units.
Throughout the first quarter, Gaikindo recorded growth in electric car sales, namely HEV, PHEV, BEV, and FCEV, compared to the same period last year. BEV sales, for example, reached 33,150 units wholesale, a 95.9 percent increase in the first three months of 2026.
Meanwhile, fossil fuel car sales performance declined in the first quarter of this year. LCGC sales, for instance, fell by up to 29.9 percent compared to January–March 2025.
In line with Gaikindo’s First Chairman Jongkie Sugiarto, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia’s Vice President Director Bob Azam stated that the decline in car sales performance in the third month was due to the long Eid al-Fitr holiday period. However, he did not explain the reasons for the decline in petrol car sales in the first quarter of this year. “We can’t yet see if it’s still influenced by working days,” he said.
A lecturer from the Faculty of Art and Design at the Bandung Institute of Technology, Yannes Martinus Pasaribu, explained that the sales decline during the Eid al-Fitr holiday is a seasonal condition. On the consumer side, Yannes said that people tend to postpone car purchases and focus their funds on preparations for the homecoming trip and Eid needs.
In addition, the numerous holidays drastically reduced dealer operational activities and distribution from factories to dealers. As a result, national wholesale sales in March were only 61,271 units.