Mobil Rakyat...new cars

[Hawk256]

We got the car yesterday, and the saleswoman and tech guy explained everything. The tech guy recommended turning the front crash avoidance (auto braking) intown, as the number of motorbikes pulling out in front of you could cause problems with it.

Already have some experience with crash avoidance as a passenger in one of the new BMWs. It is very agravating to deal with in Jakarta traffic. Everytime a motorbike crosses in front a little too close, the car jams on the brakes. Agree 100% with the tech on this one.

 

[Banana72]

I also read btw that one of the advantages of having an EV is that it's not bound by the odd/even license plate rule...in theory at least, not sure if that really happens or not (or if that applies to full EV only or hybrid also).

 

[Jaime C]

Already have some experience with crash avoidance as a passenger in one of the new BMWs. It is very agravating to deal with in Jakarta traffic. Everytime a motorbike crosses in front a little too close, the car jams on the brakes. Agree 100% with the tech on this one.

We have the crash avoidance on our Honda CRV in the US, and it works fine. Of course, we don’t have motorbikes, bajai and such that happen with great regularity in Indonesia.

 

[Jaime C]

Finally got the insurance issued a bit above 8 juta a year.

 

[jstar]

There are two major types of car insurance; all risk and total loss only. They have eight categories, depending on the price segment and type of the vehicle. A Veloz would be category 3 (for which on average you should count on 2,1%)

Finally got the insurance issued a bit above 8 juta a year.

So assuming a price of 330 juta that would put you on a 2.4%. It’s a bit the higher end of the scale (Bandung, as in Jawa Barat, has the same premiums as the DKI) but not that bad.

 

[Jaime C]

They put the negotiated price, not the list price. I think they listed 2.08%.

 

[jstar]

The Lexus RX has been completely renewed. But that was already long ago, the Indonesian introduction took its time.

This model -which is priced between a MB GLC and GLE- is rather popular in Indonesia. There are or will be (plug-in) hybrids available but also a 2.4 liter gasoline (which is called RX 350).

The only problem is the availability. Already more than 1.000 have been ordered but because a chip shortage and also the fact it is not produced locally, the waiting period is enormous. I haven’t seen one on the road yet.

 

[jstar]

For those who missed it:

The white number plates you see nowadays are the new standard.

The most important reason is the superior readability of the recognition (OCR) systems behind the traffic cameras for checking speed for instance. Black letters on a white background are better. (Also a reason for many other countries to change to dark letters on a light background.)

A new plate can/will be provided every time a car has a new owner, or registration if the old expired for instance. But the old black plates stay valid during the next years.

 

[jstar]

If you’re in the market for a Mazda CX-5 perhaps it’s not a bad idea to wait a bit.

Besides an update the CX-5 will feature the e-SkyActiv G technology. The gasoline engine is supported by a powerful electric motor that draws its power from an extra battery. That battery is charged with energy from braking.

This smart mild hybrid technology makes the Mazda CX-5 obviously more economical and lowers the emissions. Don’t know exactly what the impact on the road tax will be.

 

[jstar]

The same could be said if you’re in the market for a Hyundai Kona. Which is the sibling of the Kia Niro of course.

Weirdly enough -well not really since they don’t want it to compete with their other models- the Kona here is only available as full Electric. So not ICE or (P)HEV as in other countries.

This is the current model:

And this is the new one:

It gets very positive reviews in the car magazines in Western Europe. It’s also quite big, it grew 15 cm again so in fact is not a B segment car anymore, it is comparable to the CH-R or Corolla Cross in size.

 

[jstar]

The Mini Clubman does not seem to have a very long life anymore. It will disappear in about a year and we should not expect a successor.

After more than 16 years it will be over and out for this model, Mini will end production of the Clubman in February 2024.


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There is no sign of life of a new Mini Clubman since it is essentially handing over the baton to a new family member that will be introduced this year; the fully electric Mini Aceman.

Just like the Clubman, a bigger brother of the Mini hatchback, but obviously not as big the Countryman.

In Indonesia, practically all Mini models are available, even the electric versions. But they’re quite expensive, for the cheapest version (the 3-door ICE hatchback in the Cooper trim) you’d pay already almost 900 juta (approx. $60K).

Now we know more about their future plans. Mini has, among other things, a completely new generation Countryman, the larger SUV, in development. The new Countryman is not only available with combustion engines, but for the first time also with electric powertrains. It should be on the market in February 2024.

But there is more: Mini has a new generation of its three- and five-door hatchbacks in the pipeline. As with the current three-door Mini hatchback, the new model will also be available in a fully electric variant. This is planned for May 2024. The versions with combustion engines will follow a few months later. The generation change of the Mini hatchback goes hand in hand with a name change, it will be called Cooper which becomes a model name instead of a type or trim designation.

The new Mini Cooper will have a longer wheelbase than the current model, but will be about the same length as the current three-door Mini (3,82 meter). The Cooper will be available as a five-door and as a convertible, although the five-door will only be available with combustion engines. (The Aceman is the future electric compact five-door.) The new electric three-door Mini Cooper 'EV' will have a range which is almost twice as big as the current model. That would mean that there will be versions with a range of more than 470 kilometers. That’s more like it.

The electric Mini Cooper will come from China. (Makes sense with BMW production already there.) The ICE models -with combustion engines- will be made in Oxford, England.

 

[Jaime C]

We had our first roadtrip to Jakarta today. Everything worked fine, but going over speedbumps was a bit more jarring than in our 10.5 year old Nissan.

 

[jstar]

The softer suspension is obviously nicer at a ‘sleeping policeman’ and thus more smooth or comfortable but for driving characteristics and handling you’d prefer a harder (tougher) suspension. It’s a bit of a trade-off. If I drive I prefer better road handling and less rolling but as passenger the (American) boat-like suspension is not so bad. Unless you take constant turns of course. (I made my passengers throw up while driving in a Ford Expedition in a redwood park in Northern California.)

 

[jstar]

And us who were thinking that the heydays of the plug-in hybrid are over, are completely wrong according to Toyota. Many other brands abandon the plug-in hybrid but the PHEVs should play a major role in Toyota's future and are portrayed by the Japanese as 'the practical EV'.

Toyota will stick to what it calls the "multi-pathway approach" going forward. This means that the brand is betting on several horses when it comes to future powertrains, in which the PHEV should play a remarkably large role. (It is a bit similar to what BMW is doing btw.)

This became evident from an extensive presentation with updates on Toyota's future plans, in which the (new) management of the brand talks a lot about BEVs, or fully electric battery electric vehicles. Now that’s a change. At the same time, there remains a role for hydrogen (especially for trucks), regular hybrids and, yes, plug-in hybrids.

So Toyota will invest heavily in PHEVs in the coming years, if we are to believe Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima. He says that Toyota will present the plug-in hybrid as 'the practical BEV'. An enormous electric range is apparently part of this, because the Toyota plug-in hybrid of the future must be able to drive more than 200 kilometers electrically.

With the new Prius, Toyota is actually already giving us a head start. The new Prius is available with different drivetrains (only plug-in in Europe) and hyper-efficient on paper. Although 200 kilometers electrically is not yet possible, the very streamlined Prius will be able to drive 70 kilometers electrically.

 

[jstar]

Honda recorded a sales of 1,358 units of cars at the Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) 2023 event, which was held February 16 - 26, 2023. The amount of Honda cars ordered at IIMS this year increased by 27% compared to the number in the same event last year.

What you might not expect, is that the small Honda Brio is one of their bestsellers, with more than 40% of all their cars in Indonesia. The Brio sales reach approx. 5.000 units per month which is a rather big chunk of Honda's total sales of 12.000 cars.

 

[jstar]

On 18 April, Lexus will introduce the brand new Lexus LM, whose model name stands for Luxury Mover. The Lexus LM will not be a large crossover or SUV, but a luxurious MPV (MultI Purpose Vehicle) with two sliding doors.

The brand new Lexus LM will make its debut at the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition that opens its gates next week. Of course there was already an LM since in 2019, Lexus presented the first generation LM.

So why is that relevant for Indonesia? Well this luxury MPV you should consider to be Lexus' version of a Toyota Alphard.

Lexus already shows a teaser of the new LM and on that we see a completely different D-pillar (A is the front, then the B, then the … you get my drift) as on the existing model. This indicates that the Lexus LM is not just being facelifted, but is undergoing a complete generation change.

Undoubtedly, the Alphard will follow and can also count on a brand new generation.

.

 

[vocalneal]

^ How does Hyundai H1 fare in Indonesia

 

[jstar]

^ How does Hyundai H1 fare in Indonesia

It has been replaced by a very futuristic looking model called Starex.

Sales is not that great, don’t see them a lot.

 

[jstar]

And Nissan Indonesia is doing it again…

Last time they kept the pre-facelifted version of the X-Trail for two years after a new one was introduced in the rest of the world.

Quite a nice car, they returned somewhat to the more butch design of previous generations. It had become rather bling-bling design-wise.

Now the latest X-Trail which had its international debut in mid-2020 in the United States, where the model is known as Rogue, is not available here. But you already guessed it; after three years they foresee a facelift.

This picture shows a Nissan Rogue taped on the front and rear, obviously hinting at the arrival of a revised version of the X-Trail as well.

So let’s see when (and if) we will get this model. The models T31 and T32 were rather successful in RI.

 

[jstar]

The Isuzu D-Max is being revamped. Mostly optical.

Wonder what they will put on their website now; “all brand spanking new“?

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