General Motor Shuts Bekasi Plant, Leaves RI
27 February 2015 13:16 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – US largest carmaker General Motors (GM) announced Thursday it would cease its Indonesian production this year, but continued selling its cars in the country through a dealership mechanism.
The GM plant in Indonesia, which was built in the city of Bekasi on the outskirts of Jakarta, will halt production in late June, causing dismissal of some 500 employees, according to a recent GM release.
The Bekasi plant presently produces the Chevrolet Spin, a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) aimed at the Indonesian and ASEAN markets.
“Multiple factors have contributed to the GM’s decision, among them the high material costs and the lack of potential to draw on local suppliers due to the limited scale,” said GM, which thus far has been importing Spin spare parts.
GM marketed 8,500 Spin units in the country in 2014. The Bekasi plant is capable of producing 40,000 vehicles a year.
ANTARA