Japanese Media: The Traditional Dominance of Japanese Brands in Indonesia's Commercial Vehicle Market Is Beginning to Crumble
The Japanese automotive media outlet Best Car Web published an article on May 25 stating that the Indonesian automotive market, particularly in the commercial vehicle segment, has long been dominated by Japanese automakers. For a prolonged period, Japanese manufacturers nearly monopolized the market, primarily through models such as the Mitsubishi Fuso COLT Diesel Truck.
However, just like in the ordinary passenger car market, the commercial vehicle sector is now being disrupted by electrification trends.
Major Chinese construction machinery manufacturers continue to expand their share in the electric commercial vehicle market. Indonesia’s leading energy company, PT Sapteidra Sejati, has procured 15 large fully electric trucks “SE588” and 30 electric mining dump trucks “SKT130S” from China’s Sany Group, and held a handover ceremony.
Indonesia represents a vast and rapidly growing market within ASEAN. Traditionally, it has been a crucial market for Japanese automakers. In particular, Mitsubishi Fuso once held a dominant 45% share in the commercial vehicle market (in 2013). However, in recent years, Chinese manufacturers have seen rapid growth driven by electrification.
Sany delivered the first two SE588 units as trial vehicles to Indonesia by the end of 2025. Customers gave high praise to this all-electric truck, resulting in the initial delivery of 15 units. Yet, Sapte Indra plans to purchase hundreds more.
The newly acquired vehicles are primarily used for coal transportation, each pulling two trailer units connected together—capable of carrying up to 220 tons with the SE588 tractor unit. This significant total load, operating under tropical rainforest climate conditions and complex mine environments, poses a severe test for pure electric vehicles. Despite these challenges, the vehicles have demonstrated high operational efficiency and significantly reduced operating costs, earning the trust of mining companies.
Both parties have jointly developed a roadmap for continuous deployment of Sany’s new energy trucks across various mining sites throughout Indonesia. The previously overwhelming dominance of Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturers in Indonesia is beginning to collapse.
What is Sany’s SE588 truck? Sany Heavy Industry is a global leader in concrete equipment; German companies such as Putzmeister are now part of the Sany Group. Many in Japan remember that during the Fukushima nuclear disaster, this company once provided a concrete pump truck for cooling purposes—since domestic Japanese vehicles could not extend their booms far enough.
The SE588 is a large 6×4 fully electric truck. It features a 588 kWh battery supporting battery swapping. Dual-gun DC fast charging allows simultaneous charging using two chargers, achieving 20–80% charge in just 55 minutes, while battery replacement takes only 5 minutes.
The SE588 comes in two versions, with payloads of 80 tons and 120 tons, though both share the same powertrain. The electric motor delivers a peak output of 480 kW (650 horsepower) and a peak torque of 2,800 Nm. It uses a 6-speed AMT transmission. With a maximum range of 455 km, the SE588 is an all-electric truck capable of handling extreme environments such as high temperatures, high humidity, and high altitudes.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866126317559808/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s).