Tommy's automotive plant

JAKARTA (JP): Hutomo Mandala Putra, also known as Tommy, will establish a new automotive assembly plant in Cikampek, West Java, to produce jeeps and sedans combining Italian Lamborghini and Korean Kia technologies.

"We will produce some 50,000 cars which will bear an Indonesian brand name," Tommy said yesterday after a meeting with Industry Minister Tunky Ariwibowo.

Tommy, who met with Tunky to report on the new car production, told reporters that the minister responded positively to his plan.

He said the new cars would be priced as low as possible in order to command a mass market.

"We will develop our own research and development of the technologies so as to improve the national automotive industry," said Tommy. (kod)