Polytron to launch Indonesia’s first domestic electric car

Polytron, an Indonesian consumer electronics manufacturer, has forayed into the electric car business with the G3, a mid-size electric SUV. The G3 is also the first EV from an Indonesian brand.

The G3 is not an EV Polytron designed or engineered itself, but one of the several rebadged and renamed versions of Chinese automaker Skyworth’s EV6. The company redesigned the original model’s front fascia and gave it an upper grille for a distinctive, more conventional look.

Needless to say, it also changed the branding at the front and rear and on the inside. Polytron imports the G3’s knocked-down kits from China, and Indonesian contract manufacturer Handal Motor assembles them at its local facility in Purwakarta (West Java), as per a report from KatadataOTO. Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Indonesia’s Minister of Industry, said the G3 features 40% local content. The company aims to sell 1,500 units by the end of this year, and this
low volume indicates that deeper localisation might not make sense initially.

The G3 has a front-mounted motor that produces 150 kW and 320 Nm of torque, drawing energy from a 52 kWh LFP battery pack. It accelerates from 0 to 100 kph in 9.6 seconds and achieves a top speed of 150 kph. The electric mid-size SUV covers a distance of 402 km on a full charge, as per CLTC.

Polytron offers the G3 in standard and + grades and uses a 6.6 kW onboard charger in the former and an 11 kW onboard charger in the latter. The company says customers can charge the 52 kWh LFP battery pack in less than five hours in the G3 and under three and a half hours in the G3+, although it does not mention the state of charge range for either of those figures. On a DC charger, it can charge from 20% to 70% in less than 35 minutes.

According to a report from Antara, Polytron plans to build a network of eight vehicle showrooms this year in Indonesia, including four in Jakarta, one in Semarang, one in Bandung, and two in Surabaya. The company offers the G3 for 419 million rupiah (about 22,500 euros) and the G3+ for 459 million rupiah (about 24,600 euros). It also gives a BaaS option, which drops the vehicle prices
to 299 million rupiah (about 12,300 euros) and 339 million rupiah (about 18,200 euros), respectively. Customers need to pay a minimum monthly battery subscription cost of 1.2 million rupiah (64 euros), at a rate of 800 rupiah (0.04 euros) per 1,500 km, under this alternative ownership model.

polytron.co.id, otomotif.katadata.co.id, polytron.co.id (G3 specs), polytron.co.id (G3 Plus specs, all in Indonesian)