A Look at Japanese-Korean Brand Sales Following the Entry of Chinese Cars

KatadataOTO – Not many people expected that Chinese cars would become a trend that is much in demand by the public recently.

Chinese brands present in Indonesia like Chery and Geely are not unfamiliar names. They had previously been active before eventually going out of business due to various factors.

Over time, Chinese manufacturers changed their strategy. Geely re-entered Indonesia, focusing on presenting environmentally friendly vehicles, both electric and hybrid cars.

Chery completed their Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) portfolio with models from the Tiggo series. Then they introduced its hybrid variants as well as boxy-style electric cars, namely the J6 and J6T.

Photo: KatadataOTO

South Korean car brands like Hyundai, which were once successful after the government provided electric car incentives, have actually faded.

Meanwhile, Japanese manufacturers are still focused on bringing hybrid cars instead of Electric Vehicles (EVs) due to considerations of price, consumer readiness, and infrastructure.

Looking in detail at Gaikindo data as of 2023, there were 35 registered brands. At that time, Chinese car brands specifically selling passenger vehicles included Wuling, Chery, DFSK, MG, Neta, and Seres.

Wuling is still the best-selling Chinese brand with retail sales of 25,992 units. Combined, all Chinese brands contributed a figure of 32,898 units.

Japanese brands still dominate. Toyota at the top distributed 325,395 units in 2023. Followed by Daihatsu with 194,108 units and Honda with 128,010 units.