TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Car sales in Indonesia in February 2017 have increased by 7.5 percent to 94,791 units from the 88,208 units recorded in the same month last year. The Motor Vehicle Industry Association (Gaikindo) released the number on Monday, March 27, 2017. The increase according to Gaikindo, was supported by increasing sales of commercial vehicles and low-cost green-car (LCGC).
Gaikindo said that the increase was in accordance with the Association's prediction at the beginning of 2017. Gaikindo projected that car sales in 2017 will improve compared to 2016, which only reached 1,061,015 units in total.
Gaikindo Chairman Yohannes Nangol earlier predicted that car sales in 2017 will grow by five percent to 1.1 million units.
"We projected the economy to improve this year," Yohannes stated.
A number of car manufacturers claimed that the sales improvement was driven by improving commodity prices in the mining and plantation sector. PT TATA Motors Distribusi Indonesia Marketing Manager Wilda Bachtiar, said that sales of commercial vehicles will increase even higher in the second semester of 2017.
"Not to mention of commodity prices can remain stable, businesses will gain confidence to make investments," Wilda said.
ABDUL MALIK | WAWAN PRIYANTO | PRAGA UTAMA
