Scooters Dominate, Non-Scooter Motorcycles Struggle to Gain Market Entry in Indonesia

Jakarta — Several Southeast Asian countries have diverse Yamaha motorcycle product lines. There are models such as the PG-1, an adventure-styled commuter motorcycle, and the MX-King, the latest model offering. However, for the Indonesian market, the opportunity to introduce new motorcycles outside the scooter segment remains quite challenging. Consequently, the possibility of launching non-scooter models depends heavily on the interests of the majority of Indonesian consumers.

Rifki Maulana, Manager of Public Relations, Community & YRA at Yamaha Indonesia Motorcycle (YIMM), stated that every new model is not launched arbitrarily, but rather through in-depth market research. According to him, the dominance of scooters in Indonesia is a primary factor determining product development direction. Traffic conditions and daily mobility requirements of the public are deemed more suitable for automatic scooters compared to other types.

“It always comes back to this: if demand in Indonesia is predominantly for scooters, and traffic conditions favour scooters, that market segment becomes established, so Yamaha will follow market demand,” Rifki said.

This situation limits opportunities for introducing non-scooter motorcycles, such as sports bikes or standard commuters. As long as market demand remains dominated by scooters, manufacturers tend to prioritise the segment with the largest sales volume. In other words, Yamaha’s product direction in Indonesia is heavily determined by consumer behaviour. As long as the majority of the public chooses scooters as their primary vehicle, that segment will remain the main focus for new model launches.