Top image: Photo: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Indonesia’s new-car market cooled slightly in September after a record August, but the two Chinese brands that have led the shift to electric cars both kept their places among the ten best-selling makes. Data from the car manufacturers’ association Gaikindo, reported by CNN Indonesia and detikOto, show wholesales (factory to dealer) of 79,540 units, down 2.7% from August.
The month-on-month dip follows an unusually strong August, which Bloomberg Technoz described as a record at 81,757 units. Compared with a year earlier the market is still growing quickly: September wholesales were 28.1% higher than the 62,090 units shipped in September 2025.
The headline numbers
- Wholesales, September: 79,540 units (down 2.7% month on month, up 28.1% year on year).
- Retail sales, September: 81,243 units (dealer to customer), down 2.6% from August’s 83,421 and up 27.4% year on year.
- January–September wholesales: 679,020 units, up 21% on the same period of 2025.
- January–September retail: 676,223 units, up 15.4%.
BYD third, Jaecoo eighth
According to the brand ranking published by CNN Indonesia, BYD was the third-largest brand in September with 6,031 wholesale units, behind Toyota (21,877) and Daihatsu (11,558). On retail sales BYD did even better, with 7,421 units delivered to customers. By our calculation, that is around 1,390 more cars sold to buyers than were shipped to dealers, suggesting BYD’s network was drawing on existing stock during the month.
Jaecoo, the Chery group brand whose J5 EV has become one of the market’s most popular electric cars, was eighth on both measures with 3,400 units. On our arithmetic, BYD took roughly 7.6% of September wholesales and Jaecoo about 4.3%.
Over the first nine months, Bisnis.com puts BYD fifth overall with 43,727 wholesale units and a 6.4% share, behind Toyota, Daihatsu, Suzuki and Mitsubishi Motors. Jaecoo is eighth year to date with 27,234 units (4.0%).
Electric-car figures still to come
None of the reports we reviewed broke out battery-electric (BEV) sales for September, so the month’s EV total is not yet clear. For context, Stapo.id, citing Gaikindo, reported 17,413 BEVs in August and about 101,171 in the first eight months of the year. Update (12 October): Gaikindo data for January–September now show 117,218 battery-electric cars sold, already more than in all of 2025. See the top ten EV models so far this year.
Price changes may also shape the final quarter. BYD raised prices on the Seal and Sealion 7 from October, and Jaecoo lifted the J5 EV Premium’s price in September, citing currency pressures.
Can the industry hit its target?
Gaikindo’s full-year target is 850,000 units. As detikOto notes, reaching it would require about 171,000 more wholesales between October and December, or roughly 57,000 a month. That is well below the monthly run rate of around 80,000 seen in August and September, so the target looks within reach unless demand falls sharply.
What it means for buyers
A busy market generally means less room to haggle, and with recent EV price rises from BYD and Jaecoo, buyers considering an electric car may find year-end discounts thinner than in previous years. It is worth comparing current list prices in our Indonesia EV directory and checking which models still qualify for tax incentives. Motorbike buyers can read our report on September motorbike sales and the delayed e-motorbike incentive.
Sources: CNN Indonesia (sales totals); CNN Indonesia (top 10 brands); detikOto; Bisnis.com; Bloomberg Technoz; Stapo.id. Data: Gaikindo.