Car sales rise 30.4%

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Automakers and distributors sold 345,167 cars as of July, a rise of 30.4 percent from the corresponding period a year earlier, with PT Toyota Astra Motor (TAM) keeping its long-standing status as market leader.

In a media statement, TAM reported it had sold 107,480 cars in the January-July period, dominating the market with a 31.1 percent share.

Johnny Darmawan, TAM president director, expressed confidence that prospects would only get better with the launch of the Toyota Fortuner -- its latest SUV product introduced only last month during an auto expo.

"Fortuner will be available to the public early in August," Johnny said in the statement.

Excluded from the recent sales figures, sales of Fortuner have reached almost 3,000 units, according to the company report, boosted in particular by sales at the recent expo, according to the company's report.

Second after Toyota was Suzuki, which held about 17.5 percent market share, with Honda being the third largest at 16 percent.

Elsewhere, having seen encouraging performance in the first seven months of the year, Johnny was upbeat that this year's car sales target of 550,000 units was within reach.

Industry players have been voicing concerns over the target in view of the government's plans to impose a luxury tax on cars, as part of its energy-saving campaign. (006)