Ford Boss Reveals Differences Between Premium Car Consumers in Indonesia and Thailand

KatadataOTO – The new boss of RMA Indonesia, the Brand Holder Agent (APM) for Ford, previously lived in Thailand for a long time and saw differences in the character of car consumers in Thailand and Indonesia, especially in the premium segment.

Although overall they are not much different, there is one main differentiator between these two countries when it comes to users of premium cars or luxury cars.

“In Thailand, many people choose to drive themselves. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, (car owners) have their own driver, at least from Monday to Friday,” said Roelof Lamberts, Regional Director of RMA Indonesia, when met in Jakarta recently.

According to Roelof, people who use private drivers in Thailand are more limited, such as company owners.

Photo : KatadataOTO

Meanwhile in Indonesia, according to his observations, many people, including his work colleagues, choose to use the services of a private driver for daily mobility.

But not without reason. Roelof said that the heavy traffic conditions in Indonesia make people tend to prefer being a passenger rather than driving themselves.

“The traffic here is very bad, and then (the journey) takes quite a long time, so maybe that's the main difference. Even when I was in Thailand, I drove myself (without a private driver),” said Roelof.

Then in Thailand, pickups are still a favorite type of vehicle, different from Indonesian consumers who prefer models like the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV).

This difference in character also seems to play a role behind the product portfolio introduced by a brand in its destination country.

In Thailand, Ford offers more variants of the Ranger, including a single cabin option. The lowest Ranger XL type has several choices, namely the XL single cabin, XL+ single cabin, and the XLS which is a double cabin.

Photo : Ford

“Pickup trucks are the most commonly used cars in Thailand. You can see many Ford SUVs and pickups there,” said Roelof.

For your information, in Indonesia Ford offers the Everest, Ranger, Ranger Raptor, and the Mustang sports car.

The Ford Ranger Raptor is the top variant and enters the premium segment with a price starting from Rp 1.28 billion on the road in Jakarta.