Domestic vehicle sales fell 22 percent in Februari

Domestic vehicle sales fell 22 percent in Februari

JAKARTA (JP): Domestic vehicle sales dropped 22 percent last
month to 24,281 from 31,522 in January, with "national" Timor car
sales falling the hardest.

According to PT Astra International's monthly sales report
Timor, the sole benefactor of government-granted duty and tax
breaks, sold 962 cars last month, down from 3,259 in January.

Despite the plunge Timor sales last month were still higher
than sales of other passenger cars. Next was Honda which sold
873 units.

Timor sedan sales peaked at 4,221 in December but have fallen
steadily over the past months despite aggressive sales promotion.

PT Timor Distributor National's president Soemitro Soerachmad
said the company has been promoting Timor cars throughout the
country with incentives such as a 24-month spare parts and
service guarantee.

Timor Putra, controlled by President Soeharto's youngest son
Hutomo Mandala Putra, currently imports Kia Motor's Sephia
sedans, as the company's assembling plant is being built in
Karawang, West Java.

The sales of Bimantara's Hyundai passenger cars plunged 45
percent to 254 cars last month from 469 in January.

Sales of passenger cars dropped by 44 percent to 4,123 cars
from 7,441 in January. Over 50 percent of the decrease came from
the sales of the cars assembled by companies other than Astra.

Commercial car sales decreased by 16 percent to 20,158 last
month, from 24,081 in January, with Astra's Toyota pick-ups and
trucks leading the drop.

Toyota commercial car sales declined by 20 percent to 4,884
last month from 6,127 in January.

On average the sale of commercial cars by Astra and other
companies fell by 17 percent.

Astra commercial car sales dropped to 10,695 from 12,804 in
January, while the non-Astra commercial cars decreased to 9,462
from 11,477.

Non-Astra vehicle sales declined by 29 percent last month to
12,605 from 17,786 in January, against the 14 percent decline of
Astra-assembled cars to 11,676 from 13,736.

Astra assembles commercial cars including Daihatsus, Isuzus
Nissan Diesels and Toyotas. It also assembles BMWs, Daihatsus,
Peugeots and Toyota passenger cars.

Export of commercial cars including Daihatsus, Toyotas and
Suzukis also dropped last month to 210 from 278 cars in
January. (02)