KUALA LUMPUR: Southeast Asia’s largest integrated car e-commerce platform, Carsome is bolstering its Indonesian operations, among them by committing to invest in the nation’s planned Nusantara capital.
Carsome also joining forces with Indonesia-based Electrum to contribute to the future of Indonesian mobility by encouraging the adoption of sustainable mobility solutions as the nation ramps up towards meeting its energy transition goals.
Electrum is a joint venture between TBS and Gojek with a mission to develop and transform the two-wheeled electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia.
In conjunction with Carsome’s participation in the Malaysian Prime Minister’s working visit to Jakarta, on Sunday, company co-founder and Group CEO Eric Cheng submitted a Letter of Intent (LOI) to the International Trade and Industry minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, outlining Carsome’s interest to set up operations in Nusantara and to invest in digitalising its automotive industry.
The ceremony was witnessed by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who was accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Werdiningsih, and Indonesian Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono.
Cheng (third from right), handing over the LOI to Tengku Zafrul, and witnessed by Anwar (centre) ,and Malaysian and Indonesian ministers.
Carsome’s LOI was subsequently handed by Tengku Zafrul to Nusantara Capital City Authority chairman Bambang Susantono in the presence of Anwar and Indonesian president Joko Widodo at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Monday.
In a separate development during the Jakarta visit, Carsome announced its collaboration with Electrum to further accelerate two-wheeler EV adoption in response to growing local demand for sustainable and economical transportation.
Electrum, a joint venture between Gojek and TBS Energi Utama was established in 2021 and aims to drive Indonesia to emerge as a leader in the global EV industry.
Commenting on both milestones, Cheng said the company was grateful to the Malaysian government for the opportunity to be among front-runners to invest in the growth of Nusantara, Indonesia’s future capital city.
“We’re well-placed to contribute towards strengthening Nusantara’s automotive ecosystem through digitalisation and to drive talent development and job creation with the establishment of new centres in the capital.
“Our partnership with Electrum will be game-changing. Together, we are exploring options to encourage two-wheeler EV adoption as demand grows for more economical and sustainable mobility solutions to power the nation’s economic growth.
“As the leading car e-commerce platform with significant operations in Indonesia and the South East Asia region, we will be able to complement Electrum’s growth aspirations to drive EV adoption in Indonesia,” he
said.
“This partnership also signals a new era in Carsome’s journey to mature our plans and support the anticipated growth in EV adoption across the region,” Cheng added.
“Carsome has been present in Indonesia since 2017 and we are committed to taking meaningful actions that support and contribute towards the nation’s socio-economic development needs,” he said.
At present, Carsome operates 42 retail centers in Jabodetabek, West Java, and East Java.
It launched Indonesia’s first Carsome Certified Lab in August 2022 which is the largest across its four markets of operation.
In June last year, Carsome Academy, the company’s automotive technical institute, was launched in Jakarta to further increase skilled workforce in the automotive industry.
Other strategic alliances in Indonesia include acquisitions of iCar Asia, Southeast Asia’s largest online auto classified platform which operates Mobil123 in Indonesia; equity share acquisition of PT Universal Collection, Jakarta-based car and motorcycle auction service company with subsidiaries across Indonesia.
