Tag Archives: national car project

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Indonesia and KG Mobility partner to develop national car and bus project

It seems that Southeast Asian countries are racing to showcase their respective national car projects.

After Thailand, it is now Indonesia’s turn to announce its own national car and bus project, which will be supported by KG Mobility (KGM).

For your information, KGM is an automotive brand from South Korea, previously known as SsangYong.

KGM recently signed an agreement for the expansion of business and local assembly supply of the Rexton model at the headquarters of Pindad, a defense company under the Indonesian Ministry of Defense, on May 8th.

According to a report by Business Korea, KGM will examine several aspects such as competitiveness, technology, and engineering for models like the Rexton.

From this foundation, KGM plans to actively collaborate to further expand the scale of Indonesia’s national car and electric bus production project, led by Pindad, with a target of 200,000 units.

This is not the first time Indonesia has embarked on a national car project.

In 1996, a company known as PT Timor Putra Nasional (Timor) was established in response to the then-President of Indonesia’s desire to realize a national automotive industry.

During its operational years, Timor produced two vehicle models: the S515 sedan (rebadged from the Kia Sephia) and the S516i wagon.

EV, NEWS

Thailand to launch national EV brand in collaboration with Chery

This is an exciting development coming from neighboring Thailand.

According to the latest report by Autolife Thailand, the country will have its own national EV brand by the end of 2025.

The Thai national car project is the result of collaboration between the Ministry of Commerce, the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), King Gen, and the Chinese automotive company Chery.

Initially, three models are planned to be introduced by the end of this year, consisting of a pickup truck, an MPV, and an SUV.

It is understood that all three models will have over 50% local content.

As a “Thai car,” this national EV project will receive specific tax incentives to enable it to be sold at a more affordable price for consumers there.

This development aligns with what Chery announced at Auto Shanghai 2025 recently.

The Chinese automotive manufacturer announced the development of the M-Series vehicles, which will include a seven-seat SUV, an MPV, and a pickup truck supporting internal combustion engines (ICE), EVs, and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).

This approach is seen as comparable to Toyota’s IMV project planned for the global and Southeast Asian markets, which includes the Innova, Fortuner, and Hilux models.