Indonesian Kancil Minicar Promoted by Government
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 08.17.05
The big US car makers just had to be expecting they'd grab some car market in developing economies. With their obscessive focus on SUV's and Megatrucks in the US, did they really expect nations like Indonesia to wait around for efficient transportation? Surprise. The Indonesian made "Kancil" pictured here was designed to overtake the Indian-designed three-wheeled "bajajs" that so famously pollute Indonesian cities. From Jakarta: "The diminutive Kancil minicar has a 404cc engine, seats four, can reach a maximum speed of 80kph and gets 17-20km to the liter...The company has already sold some 500 of the Kancil minicar at a price of 40 million rupiah ($4,093), and is now set to promote and popularize the vehicle with the blessing of preferential treatment from the government". UPDATE: this Kancil Minicar image is the correct one, brought to our attention from a reader in Indonesia, as per the comment below.
Not to defend the big American car makers (how many are left, anyway?), but they likely are not selling many SUVs or megatrucks in Indonesia.
What we see on car lots here is not what Ford or GM is selling in Europe or Asia. It cuts both ways - even foreign automakers that sell a lot of cars in the States don't sell us the smallest vehicles in their stables, 'cause we probably won't buy them (no VW Lupo, Nissan Micra, etc.). It's down to what the local markets will bear, in both price and size of the vehicle...
FYI: Perodua, acronym of Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Berhad is Malaysia's second automobile manufacturer after Proton. It was established in 1993. (Source: Wikipedia)
Manufacturer's official website Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd.
===author's response====
Thanks for the info. We love hearing from people who know what's up at the ground level.
Dear Sir,
I am happy and thankful to read good news about environment friendly products from my country, Indonesia. However, when I saw the picture shown here, I realized that it is not Jakarta's Kancil mini car but a Daihatsu-based Kancil car produced by Perodua in Malaysia. Please don't be surprised to find out that it is not as good looking as the Malaysia's.
Please see the following link to see the picture and related news:
www.kompas.com/kompas-cetak/0104/07/metro/kanc17.htm
or search for images using keywords: kancil bajaj
Best regards,
Adi Setiadi
Side note: "Kancil" translates to "mouse deer" in Bahasa (language of Indonesia and Malaysia).