New vehicle sales in Indonesia drifted lower in March, with deliveries to dealers declining by just under 1% to 101,674 units from 102,335 units in the same month of last year, according to data compiled by industry association Gaikindo.
First quarter sales were still 2.9% higher at 291,920 units from 283,760 units in the same period of last year with economic growth estimated to have picked up slightly to 5.2% in the quarter.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The market continues to be supported by strong demand for the Mitsubishi Xpander, which was launched last July. Sales of this compact MPV reached 21,970 units in the first quarter, helping Mitsubishi/Fuso distributor Krama Yudha more than double its sales to 55,320 units and lift its market share to almost 19% from just over 9% a year earlier.
Fifth placed Suzuki also performed strongly in this period, with sales jumping by 32% to 32,360 units on strong demand for the Ertiga compact MPV and for the Ignis small crossover vehicle introduced a year ago.
Toyota remained the biggest automotive brand in the country although its first quarter sales fell by over 21% to 84,490 units for a 29% market share – down from almost 38% a year ago, while third placed Daihatsu saw its sales rise by 3.8% to 51,600 units.
Honda, the fastest growing mainstream brand in the last four years, saw its sales plunge by almost 32% to 36,260 units and its market share shrink from 18.7% to 12.4%.
