Jakarta. Thousands of BYD electric vehicles have finally arrived in Indonesia, marking its entry into the market dominated by Japanese, Korean, and European car manufacturers.

"Thousands of BYD units have arrived in Indonesia and are ready for gradual delivery according to the queue number of customer orders," Luther Panjaitan, Head of Marketing Communication at BYD Motor Indonesia, said on Friday.

Panjaitan expressed delight that these completely built-up (CBU) cars will familiarize Indonesians with BYD's electric vehicle technology.

BYD Motor Indonesia also noted ongoing preparations for the handover process through its official dealerships, attributing the unexpectedly high number of orders to strong Indonesian interest in BYD electric vehicles.

While specific figures for the imported electric vehicles were not disclosed, a promotional video suggested a total of 1,500 BYD electric cars.

Currently, BYD offers three electric models in Indonesia: BYD Seal, BYD Atto 3, and BYD Dolphin.

The import comes amid Indonesia's growing trade deficit with China, which nearly tripled to $1.3 billion in May 2024 from $500 million in April, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). The deficit was largely driven by imports of machinery, electrical equipment, and plastics.

Indonesia's policy allows automotive companies that invest in an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in the country to import Completely Built-Up (CBU) electric vehicles without import duties and Luxury Goods Sales Tax (PPnBM). Typically, import duties for CBU electric vehicles are 50 percent, while PPnBM is 15 percent.

Earlier this year, BYD announced plans to commence local production of electric vehicles in Indonesia by early 2026, with a $1.3 billion investment in a manufacturing plant capable of producing 150,000 units annually.