Jakarta. Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer NETA Auto has reportedly agreed to make Indonesia its production base for right-hand drive export markets.

The agreement was reached during a recent visit by Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita to Beijing.

Antara news agency quoted NETA Auto Vice President Zhou Jiang as saying that the company will make Indonesia its “production hub for right-hand drive EVs intended for export sales.”

“We are certainly committed to meeting the locally sourced component requirement of 60 percent in accordance with the Indonesian government program,” Zhou told the agency.

During the meeting, Agus revealed Indonesia’s ambition to produce 600,000 EVs by 2030 and expects NETA to become one of the major distributors for exports to 54 countries from Indonesia.

NETA first came to Indonesia during the 2023 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show, five years after launching its first mass-production model in China in November 2018. 

During the Indonesian exhibition, NETA introduced three products: the NETA S, an intelligent sports coupe; the NETA U, an ultra-long endurance intelligent BEV-SUV; and the NETA V, a trendy intelligent vehicle targeting young buyers.

The NETA V is priced from Rp 317 million ($19,223).

NETA signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Indonesian partner Handal Indonesia Motor for a local assembly program in Bekasi, West Java, on July 26, 2023. The local production of NETA electric cars began on May 22, 2024.