Chinese automaker's plant in Indonesia starts production

CIKARANG, Indonesia — China's automaker Wuling Motors officially started production Tuesday in its newly-built facility in Indonesia.

Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, at the launching ceremony, said the existence of Wuling Motors in Indonesia would give more choices on good and affordable cars for the people.

Total investments to build the facility, located in Cikarang district's industrial zone in West Java province, were 700 million U.S. dollars, according to Xu Feiyun, president of SAIC GM Wuling Motor Indonesia (SGMWI) that runs the facility.

The facility was designed to be able to produce 120,000 cars per year and provided 3,000 jobs, and it would officially launch its MPV masterpiece Confero S for the Indonesian market next month, he added.

"We are ready to contribute to Indonesia's economic growth, particularly in automotive industry," Xu told a press conference prior to the official launch of the factory.

Half of the 60-hectare facility compound, located in the province's Greenland International Industrial Center, was designed for car production, while the other half was to accommodate the firm's suppliers.

SGMWI, a subsidiary of China's Guangxi-based joint venture SGMW, embraces 15 international and 20 domestic component suppliers at present.

And it is set to embrace more domestic suppliers to comply with its "localization strategy" of 56-percent local contents in each of its unit produced in the Indonesian plant.

Construction of the Wuling Motors facility in Indonesia was settled within two years after its groundbreaking in 2015.