TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - PT Solo Manufaktur Kreasi (Esemka) president-director Eddi Wirajaya denies rumors suggesting that the cars it produces are merely a product of automotive ‘badge-engineering’ or a rebadge of Chinese cars.

The rumor initially arose after a picture of an Esemka test car was taken, which was not covered in a camouflage livery as test cars would and revealed an emblem that read ‘Rajawali.’

The aforementioned photo is what drove the internet suspicion suggesting that the car is just a rebadged Chinese car, Foday. “No. Esemka is not a Chinese car,” said Eddy on Tuesday, August 13.

However, Eddy does not deny that most of Rajawali’s components – especially in its engine bay – still heavily rely on parts imported from China. He further argues that the components are not imported in an assembled (completely built-up) and is rather assembled at the Esemka factory in Boyolali, Central Java.

Eddy explains the car that is projected to be a true Indonesian automotive product, mostly consist of parts that are made locally sourced from a large number of local partners as component providers. As of now, he says, Esemka faces difficulty in establishing a partnership with large scale component industry.

Esemka as an automotive brand will be presented to the public for the first time in the brand’s participation at the automotive exhibition at the Ministry of Industry, Jakarta, August 13-14.

TEMPO.CO