Under the CEPA, Indonesia also seeks to boost its exports of electric and hybrid cars to Australia, with zero preferential tariffs, he remarked at a working meeting of the Industry Ministry in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The Australian automotive market is wide open after car manufacturers in the country shut down their plants in the past 10 years, as they viewed the market as being unprofitable, he pointed out.
To meet its demand for cars, Australia currently relies on imported cars from Thailand, Japan, China, and India, he noted.
In the Southeast Asian region, only Thailand poses a competitor to Indonesia in the automotive industry, he stated.
With the signing of the CEPA, Indonesia has targeted to overtake Thailand in the exports of cars to Australia, he added.
Thailand currently produces 2.1 million cars and exports 1.1 million cars per year, while Indonesia produces 1.3 million cars and exports 346 thousand cars.
Among the best-selling car models in Australia are Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla, Camry, Holden Toyota RAV 4, and Hyundai i30 in addition to double-cabin cars, such as Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, and Isuzu D Max.
Toyota currently holds a 17.5 percent share of the Australian automotive market, selling an average of 200 thousand cars in the country per year. Reporting by Mentari G, Suharto
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