Strong sales reported at motor show
Novan Iman Santosa , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Most of the car companies taking part in the second Jakarta Motor Show predicted on Wednesday that they would be able to meet their sales targets by the time the 10-day event ends on Sunday.
Contacted separately by The Jakarta Post, some said they expected to surpass the initial sales target by the end of the show on Sunday.
Of all the cars on display, the new Kijang Innova seemed to be the most popular by a wide margin.
"As of 4 p.m. on Wednesday, we have sold 850 units of the Kijang Innova and another 60 units of other models. Looking at this figure, I am sure we can surpass our initial target of 1,000 units of various models," PT Toyota-Astra Motor (TAM) spokesman Hendrayadi Lastiyoso said.
"Half of the Kijang buyers chose the Kijang Innova G type as we expected. Another 30 percent bought the high-end V type and the remaining picked the low-end E type," he added.
The three types range in price from Rp 136 million to Rp 220 million, and was named on Wednesday as the "Best Value Car" of the event.
Hendrayadi said TAM had received more than 16,000 orders nationwide. He added that many of those had previously owned other Kijang models.
Another Japanese carmaker, PT Honda Prospect Motor has sold 383 units, dominated its Honda Jazz and Honda Stream multipurpose vehicles (MPVs).
"I do not have the detailed data yet, but I expect to surpass our initial target of 500 units especially with the coming weekend," said PT HPM sales and marketing general manager Jonfis Fandy.
Meanwhile, Korean car maker PT KIA Indonesia has sold a 86 cars, nearing its target of 100 units. Most of the sales were for the new KIA Picanto city car followed by KIA Carens II MPV and KIA Pregio van.
"We've focused our sales on the Picanto and Carens II as we see it suitable for the Indonesian market, especially Jakarta," said company's spokeswoman Yanti Yulianto.
"I am quite up beat that KIA can surpass its initial target of 100 vehicles," she added.
In more of a niche market, PT Auto Euro Indonesia has sold 20 Renault cars relying on its two latest models, the Megane Grandtour and the Grand Scenic MPVs priced at Rp 309 million and Rp 339, respectively.
Meanwhile, PT Garuda Mataram Motor which is the distributor of Audi premium sedans has sold seven units worth some Rp 4 billion. The Audi A3 2.0 and A6 3.0 Quattro were named "Best Car" in the small and medium sedan categories, respectively.