Chery is confident PHEVs can make a splash in the Indonesian market, provided the price is attractive.

KatadataOTO – There are many choices of electrified vehicles in Indonesia today, including PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle). However, the price of this type of hybrid car is still relatively expensive in Indonesia.

For your information, a PHEV can be charged like an electric car because it has a battery and an electric motor. But it can also still be filled with gasoline.

This makes it more flexible and is claimed to be economical for people who want to use an environmentally friendly car but are concerned about infrastructure.

According to PT CSI (Chery Sales Indonesia), the existence of PHEVs is actually suitable for conditions in Indonesia. Especially with the infrastructure that is still considered limited in areas outside the island of Java.

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“Overseas, it's already advanced. So, charging (stations) can be found everywhere,” said Budi Darmawan, Sales Director of PT CSI when met in Jakarta, Tuesday (14/04).

He revealed that among the various electrification technologies, PHEV is actually the most suitable for the Indonesian people.

PHEVs could even be more in demand than electric cars due to their flexibility. As long as the price offered is right.

“When we talk about PHEVs, (people think) why does a car that normally costs around Rp 500 million become over Rp 1 billion when it's a PHEV. We will try to make a breakthrough later,” Budi affirmed.

The Chery Tiggo 8 CSH (Chery Super Hybrid) will be PT CSI's first hybrid product in Indonesia, and it is hoped that it will provide a new choice for the public.

Although still reluctant to leak the price, Budi emphasized that the price tag will be competitive. For comparison, the prices of other PHEVs like the Mazda CX-80 PHEV and Toyota RAV4 GR Sport PHEV are in the range of Rp 1.1 billion.

Photo : KatadataOTO

For your information, the Chery Tiggo 8 CSH is equipped with a 1,500 cc turbo engine. The engine's performance is supported by an 18.3 kWh capacity battery, offering a pure electric range of 90 km on a single charge.

The combination of the combustion engine and battery in the Tiggo 8 CSH is claimed to support a journey of up to 1,300 km.

The power produced is then channeled through an automatic transmission to the front wheels or FWD (Front Wheel Drive).