PT Krama Yudha Tiga Berlian Motors (KTB), manufacturer of the country's leading commercial vehicle, the Mitsubishi Colt Diesel truck, has launched eight new product series. The company aims to boost vehicle sales to 48,000 this year from 40,000 last year.
The newly released vehicles -- which boast new designs, engine specifications and safety measures -- are aimed at countering the 45 percent sales decline suffered by the company last year, KTB president director Fumio Kuwayama said Monday.
Nation-wide sales of commercial vehicles, particularly trucks, declined by 40 percent between 2005 and 2006, from 448,000 units to 320,000. However, sales are expected to rise by 20 percent this year on the back of stable macroeconomic conditions.
Kuwayama said the new vehicles were made to meet the Euro 2 standard, which requires producers to reduce the sulfur content of diesel vehicle emissions from 5,000 parts per million (ppm) to 3,500 ppm.
"Starting this month, we're only selling the new series of Colt Diesel trucks and have stopped distributing the old ones," marketing director Rizwan Alamsyah said.
The new Colt Diesel series are sold at different prices, ranging from Rp 125 million (US$13,736) to Rp 170 million, depending on their specifications.
The company dominates Indonesia's market for commercial vehicles with it's Colt Diesel trucks, achieving a 66 percent market share last year. Over the past five years, the company sold 175,000 units nationwide.
Rizwan said that Indonesia was the largest market for Mitsubishi Colt Diesel in the world, followed by Japan. (04)
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