Hyundai Motor will produce the electric Kona in Indonesia in the first half of next year, said Lee Young-tack, president of Hyundai Motor Asia Pacific recently.
Lee, in an interview with The Korea Herald, said that Hyundai, as the pioneer and leader of the Indonesian electric car market, will provide its entire range of electric cars in the archipelago.
“We will continue to release low-cost electric car models to meet consumer needs,” said Lee.
He said the Kona Electric would be the first electric car produced in Indonesia and the first car to use batteries made in Indonesia.
The plan is that Kona Electric will not only be sold in Indonesia, but will also be exported to other countries in the Southeast Asia region.
“Hyundai Motor wants to lead the Asean electric vehicle market by building the competitiveness of the local electric vehicle supply chain,” emphasized Lee.
Hyundai is known to be building the first electric vehicle battery factory in Southeast Asia with LG Energy Solution in Karawang, West Java. This factory will operate in early 2024.
Apart from that, the Hyundai car factory is also operating in Indonesia, with a production capacity of up to 250,000 units per year.
“We want Indonesia to become a battery production center in Asean,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hyundai is also actively building a network of electric car battery charging stations in Indonesia. The South Korean manufacturer has collaborated with Lippo Mall to build 52 battery charging stations in the conglomerate’s shopping centers.