Jokowi Sued Over Esemka's Unavailability for Purchase, Trial Set for End of Month

KatadataOTO – Former president Joko Widodo, or commonly called Jokowi, is being sued by a prospective customer of the Esemka car, Aufaa Luqmana Re A. He claims he was unable to order the Esemka Bima, which he intended to use as a fleet for his pickup truck rental business.

According to him, Esemka had already received various promotions long before Jokowi became president.

“This is a breach of contract lawsuit because the plaintiff feels aggrieved. The reason is that Jokowi had programmed Esemka to become a national car brand," said Sigit N Sudibyanti, the plaintiff's lawyer, at a press conference (09/04).

Not only Jokowi, but KH. Ma’ruf Amin and PT Solo Manufaktur Kreasi are also defendants in this case. The case has been registered at the Surakarta District Court with the number 96/Pdt.G/2025/PN Skt.

Photo : Antara

However, Sigit admitted that his client has not yet made any transactions. The plaintiff only conducted a survey at the factory and met with the marketing team.

"No transaction has been made, but he had hopes and feels disappointed," he said.

Therefore, his party is demanding the defendant to pay damages amounting to Rp 300 million. That amount is equivalent to two units of the Esemka Bima that the plaintiff intended to buy.

According to the Surakarta District Court website, the first hearing is scheduled for Thursday (24/04) at 10:00 AM WIB. However, as of the writing of this news, no judge has been appointed to preside over the trial.

It should be noted that the Esemka Bima appeared at the IIMS 2023 event. At that time, the public could order it by paying a down payment (TDP) of Rp 37.5 million.

This car has dimensions of 4,930 mm in length, 1,720 mm in width, and 1,995 mm in height. However, its main advantage is the size of its cargo bed, which is 2,970 mm long, 1,740 mm wide, and 470 mm high.

Photo : Courtesy

The car's carrying capacity is also quite large, at 1 ton. Thanks to this, it is hoped that customers can carry more goods in a single trip.

Several features have also been included to provide driving comfort, such as Electronic Power Steering and AC.

The Esemka Bima is equipped with a 1,293 cc DOHC 16V engine capable of producing 84 hp and 105 Nm of torque.