JAKARTA: Indonesia is set to launch a national electric motorcycle as part of efforts to develop homegrown vehicles, with plans also in place to produce a national car.
President Prabowo Subianto indicated that the national electric motorcycle is expected to be launched within the next few weeks.
"We will have motorcycles built by Indonesians, we will have cars built by Indonesians. The Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police (Polri) are already using jeeps built by Indonesians," he said in his speech during a programme in Malang Regency, East Java, on Friday (July 17), which was streamed on YouTube.
Recalling his tenure as defence minister, Prabowo said he was presented with a choice between a cheaper imported jeep and a more expensive locally made one, but decided to support the domestic product despite the higher cost.
"We were just starting. If I chose the cheaper one, when would Indonesia have its own jeep?” he said.
Indonesia currently produces the Maung, a locally developed tactical vehicle manufactured by state-owned defence company PT Pindad, which is used by TNI and Polri.
A special variant of the Maung, the MV3 Garuda Limousine, has served as the president's official vehicle since Prabowo's inauguration in October 2024. - Bernama
