Many factories in Indonesia assemble cars of foreign brands – mainly South Korean and Japanese. There are much fewer private labels, but they do exist. Some of them have already stopped working, and those that remain have very low production capacities. So most Indonesians prefer to drive foreign cars. The main representatives of the local auto industry are listed below.
Fin Komodo
PT Fin Komodo Teknologi was named after the Komodo monitor lizard that used to be found in Java. On this island, the automobile company’s headquarters is located as the word “Fin” is short for “Formulasi Indonesia” – a hint that Fin Komodo is an exclusively Indonesian product.
The brand can be recognized by the logo with an orange quadrilateral, which has an asymmetrical shape. The geometric figure is not solid: it is divided into two parts by the letters “f,” “i,” and “n” connected to each other. The inscription consists of white lines of the same thickness, which makes it look like a very simplified labyrinth. The font in a futuristic style is difficult to read but gives the text originality.
Marlip
Indonesian company Marlip Indo Mandiri produces electric mini cars, commuter electric cars, golf carts, and other compact vehicles. And from 2005 to 2012, it produced microcars under the Marlip brand, which also ran on electric motors. Each brand’s car was marked with a round logo with an abstract pattern. In the lower half of the circle were two triangles. They were arranged symmetrically – one on the right and one on the left. They were separated by space. And on top, parallel to the edges of the triangles, two vertical lines were drawn. Silver stripes and an outer bezel of the same color contrasted with the dark gray base.
Perkasa
From 1999 to 2004, PT Wahana Perkasa Auto Jaya produced commercial vehicles under the Perkasa brand. This family included buses and trucks used by the Indonesian army and police. About a hundred buses were sold to Saudi Arabia, so the car brand logo was known at home and in at least one other country. It consisted of a set of geometric shapes. The role of the base was performed by a vertical white oval, outlined along the edge with a black stripe. Against its background were three gray parallelograms arranged in a checkerboard pattern.
Tucuxi
Another prominent representative of the local auto industry is Tucuxi, one of the few luxury cars in Indonesia. True, it exists only on paper: the development, which began in 2004 by order of a high-ranking official, Dahlan Iskan, ended with creating a prototype. The car did not pass the test, so they did not produce and export it. Dahlan Iskan is known to have personally been involved in an accident with the Tucuxi electric car while testing it. The project does not have an official logo because it was never completed. And the faulty brakes are to blame.
Esemka
Esemka is the brand under which PT Solo Manufaktur Kreasi vehicles are sold. It was named after Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan (abbreviated as SMK) because the students of this educational institution made a great contribution to the development of the Indonesian automobile industry.
The brand logo symbolizes the pursuit of technological progress because it consists of a gear and two ellipses reminiscent of machine parts. The silvery gradient reinforces the association because it looks exactly like a metallic sheen. And blackouts and light highlights give the image a visual volume. At the same time, the rings’ composition is similar to the human eye, where the cogwheel is the iris, and the small ellipse is the pupil. That is, there is another hidden meaning here: a look into the future.
Timor
Timor, also known as TPN (short for PT Timor Putra Nasional), was born in 1996 when the Indonesian president demanded the development of the domestic auto industry. But this did not last long: it ceased operations in 2000 after protests over an unfair market division. Legally, this manufacturer continues to exist because it has not gone bankrupt and has not been dissolved.
The brand logo shows its name. Some believe that the word “Timor” was formed from the phrase “Tenaga/Teknologi Industri Mobil Rakyat.” According to others, this is just a tribute to the island of the same name. The lettering is in a serif font similar to Baskerville FS ExtraBold from FontSite Inc. or its free counterpart Baskervald ADF Std Heavy Normal from Arkandis Digital Foundry. Above the text is a stylized letter “T” in a horseshoe-shaped half ring. It is formed by three figures resembling the details of a car. All elements and letters are dark blue, and the background is white.
Tawon
Another Indonesian brand that has left the market is Tawon. His cars went on sale in 2010 and were initially used as public transport in the villages. Then the manufacturing company PT Super Gasindo Jaya expanded its range, starting to produce city cars and pickups. The name Tawon was associated with great speed among the people of Indonesia because it translates as “wasp.” Also, it was a nod to the compact size of mini cars. In 2017, the brand went bankrupt. Its logo is also a thing of the past, and almost no one remembers what it looked like.
