For decades, Indonesia is an impenetrable fortress where multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) rule the roost. However, recent sales data have shown that SUVs have effectively taken over many buyers’ preferences in the archipelago.
At the all-new Honda WR-V launch last week, PT Honda Prospect Motor (HPM) revealed that 619,000 vehicles were sold in Indonesia in 2021. 227,626 of those new vehicles sold were SUVs which account for 37% market share.
Meanwhile, 202,010 MPVs were sold in 2021, effectively making SUVs the most popular segment in Indonesia. The SUV market’s growth in 2021 was explosive given that it was a 185% increase from 2020 (123,273 units).
Also read: Now, nearly 30 percent of new cars sold in Malaysia are SUVs, up 6x from 2014
Furthermore, SUV sales in Indonesia have also gone up steadily in the past 5 years while MPV and LCGC (Low-cost green car) sales slipped. In the archipelago, the SUV market comprised of the standard SUV, medium SUV (MSUV), low-cost SUV (LSUV), and small-SUV (SSUV) segments.
Also read: Toyota Avanza leads in Indonesia as 9 of the top 10 cars on sale in April 2022 are 7-seaters
To put those segments into perspective, Honda offers a model for each of those 4 segments which are the CR-V, HR-V, BR-V, and the WR-V respectively.
The small SUV market was only introduced in Indonesia in 2020 with the launch of the Nissan Magnite, and Kia Sonet. It was only when the Toyota Raize/Daihatsu Rocky was introduced in 2021 that this segment started to blow up. It saw a 90% increase in sales in January-August 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.
Also read: Toyota Raize GR Sport buyers face 9-month waiting period in Indonesia
Hence, Honda saw an opportunity to make Indonesia its global market debut for the all-new WR-V. With the country’s growing demand for SUVs, the WR-V seems to add a bit more spice to the burgeoning small SUV market which is dominated by the Raize.
Also read: Indonesians get more choices than us – Toyota Raize fights Kia Sonet, Nissan Magnite
With 3 variants offered, for now, the WR-V is powered by a naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre i-VTEC (121 PS/145 Nm) that is shared with the BR-V. All variants are paired with a CVT automatic that drives the front wheels and the highest variant gets Honda Sensing.
Also read: All-new 2023 Honda WR-V debuts in Indonesia – Can it win over the Ativa?
Honda had also announced that the first 1,700 units of the WR-V will be produced in December while it aims to sell 30,000 units in Indonesia in 2023. There’s no doubt that the WR-V could be exported to other markets but will Honda Malaysia bring it in? If so, the Perodua Ativa should be afraid.
Also read: Review: 2021 Perodua Ativa AV – The new Malaysian highway king
Source: No longer the land of MPVs, SUVs have become the No.1 segment in Indonesia
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