Indonesia’s car market shrank sharply in May, with wholesale vehicle sales plunging 15.1% year-on-year, as high borrowing costs, weak consumer sentiment, and sluggish wage growth continued to weigh on Southeast Asia’s largest automotive economy.
Yet amid the broader contraction, one segment is accelerating: electric vehicles. For the first time, fully electric battery vehicles (BEVs) have outsold hybrid models in year-to-date sales, driven almost entirely by Chinese manufacturers offering affordable, tech-forward models.