Jokowi to Use Esemka as Model for Rural Transportation
26 February 2015 14:18 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo's administrations seems to still have desire for Indonesia to have a national car in mind. However, the national car that will be developed is not one the kind that is being developed by the automotive industry today.
"The President said that we are not going to produce a car like the world's automotive giants," said Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Sofyan Djalil
According to Sofyan, it is way too late for Indonesia to compete with Japanese, European or American automakers. "Indonesia will not be able to compete with the world market," he said after a meeting at the presidential palace on Wednesday, February 25.
Under such conditions, said Sofyan, President Jokowi requested for the development of the national car to be directed to the production of rural transportation of plantation cars—modeling on the Esemka.
Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto said the meeting did not mention the cooperation between Malaysian automaker Proton and Hendropriyono's company PT Citra Lestari Adiperkasa, which had been touted to be the pasrt of a national car development program.
TIKA PRIMANDARI