Jakarta – Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Indonesian Automobile Association (IMI), Bambang Soesatyo (Bamsoet) fully supports and is confident that President Prabowo Subianto’s steps to target Indonesia to produce national cars within the next three years will be realized. According to Bamsoet, this target is not just a political ambition, but an important milestone in the history of national car industrialization which has been dominated by foreign brands until now. “This big plan should be read as momentum for the real revival of the Indonesian automotive industry, because we started it with the work of the country’s children at PINDAD such as the Maung and Garuda cars. Thursday (23/10/2025). Scroll TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT The national automotive vision is in line with the government’s efforts to strengthen economic independence based on the manufacturing industry. Data from the Association of Indonesian Automotive Industries (Gakindo) reports that domestic sales of four-wheeled vehicles will reach more than 960 thousand units during 2024, while exports will reach 520 thousand units. This figure places Indonesia as the largest car manufacturer in Southeast Asia, but ironically, Indonesia does not yet have a single national car. Bamsoet explained that the direction of national car development must be grounded on future trends, namely electrification and car digitalisation. The world is moving towards electric vehicles, and Indonesia has a comparative advantage because it controls the largest nickel reserves in the world. In addition to creating a product of national pride, the national car project also has great potential to absorb new workers. The Indonesian Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) estimates that each major car factory up to 10 thousand can absorb direct workers and more than 50 thousand indirect workers in the components, logistics and service sectors. “If we develop a national electric car based on our own natural resources, the added value is enormous. This is the time for us to reverse our position from consumers to producers,” said the Chairman of the 20th DPR RI. Bamsoet also reminded that the national car project should not be caught up in the romance of the past or mere political euphoria. Therefore, the national car project should be designated as a National Strategic Project (PSN), so that it has legal certainty, fiscal support and cross-ministerial supervision. “National cars are a symbol of the nation’s economic sovereignty. We want this national car to be really mass-produced and accepted by the market,” explained the Vice Chairman of the Golkar Party. “It is not only exhibited at the factory inauguration,” he continued. Bamsoet gave examples of several countries in Asia that succeed in developing their national cars through long-term strategies and strong political will. For example, Japan started its car industry after World War II with full government support for local companies such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan. In two decades, Japan has gone from an importing country to the world’s largest car exporter, and now dominates the global market with a reputation for efficiency and technological toughness. “South Korea is not much different. In the early 1970s, the Korean government introduced the Automobile Industry Promotion Act, which gave birth to Hyundai and KIA,” explained the permanent lecturer at the Postgraduate Defense University (Unhan), Borobudur University and Jayabaya University. “In 40 years, Hyundai not only dominated the domestic market, but also managed to penetrate the American and European markets, and is now one of the largest electric vehicle manufacturers in the world,” he continued. Bamsoet added that Malaysia was successful with the Proton project that was born in 1983 under the leadership of Prime Minister (PM) Mahathir Mohamad. Proton was able to survive for decades and gave birth to Malaysia’s national automotive ecosystem. Meanwhile, since 2009, China’s government has provided major incentives for the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry. As a result, brands such as BYD, NIO and Geely are now major global players. In fact, BYD will overtake Tesla as the largest electric car manufacturer in the world in 2024. “These countries are successful not because they have large funds, but because they are consistent. Their governments set long-term directions and provide room for growth for domestic industry,” said the Deputy General Chairman/Head of the FKPPI State Defense Agency. “Indonesia must emulate this assertiveness by combining natural potential, human resources and a large domestic market,” he concluded. Watch the video ‘Palace signals national cars to enter PSN’: (prf/ega)
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