Carmall.com - The arrival of the Suzuki Ertiga (February 2012) has indeed strengthened Suzuki's image in our national market. During January-July 2012, Suzuki recorded the sales of 52 thousand units, obtaining 10% share of the national car market.

Hence, all Suzuki models have been experiencing a sharp increase in demands. Realising this new development, PT Suzuki Indomobil Sales (SIS) as the brand holder of Suzuki in Indonesia has been prompted to strengthen its production base.

Reportedly, in addition to maximising on the production capacity of its current factory, SIS is also planning to build another factory. Endro Nugroho, 4W Marketing and Dealer Network Development Director of PT SIS, said that they will be building a new factory on a 135-hectare land in Karawang, West Java.

This land is claimed to be four times larger than the previous factory in Banten. "The investment reaches Rp8 trillion," said Endro in a communal fast-breaking event with journalists on Monday (6/8).

Endro mentioned that the total outstanding orders for the Ertiga have reached 20 thousand units. Of that, only seven-eight thousand units have been delivered. "For certain types, getting the item would need up to a seven-month wait," he said.

While for Davy Tuilan, SIS' Director of R4 Marketing, the Ertiga is considered as a phenomenal product, as consumers have already been placing their orders even before the car has been launched. "Last month's sales broke the 12 thousand milestone. This is Suzuki's highest sales to date in Indonesia, a proud feat as 65% of Suzuki buyers in the Jabodetabek area were previously consumers of other brands," Davy explained.

Suzuki's current factory has a production capacity of 12 thousand units per month, while the Ertiga production is at 4,800-5,000 units.

Besides the plan to build a new factory in Karawang, SIS will also be adding more dealers, particularly its 3S (sales, spare parts, service) dealers. Until now, Suzuki has a total of 234 dealers. "By the end of 2012, the total of dealers is targetted to increase to 272 units," he said.