Indonesia Auto Sales Rebound in October as Chinese EV Brands Shake Up Top Ranks

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — Indonesia's automotive market resumed its upward trajectory in October 2026, posting solid month-on-month and annual gains across both manufacturer shipments and showroom retail sales.

Data released by the Association of Indonesia Automotive Industry (Gaikindo) revealed that wholesale shipments from factories to dealerships reached 81,482 units in October, expanding 2.4% from 79,538 units recorded in September and growing 10% compared to October 2025. Showroom retail sales from dealerships to end consumers rose 1.5% month-on-month to 82,429 units, advancing 10.5% year-on-year from the 81,243 units booked in September.

The October performance indicates that automotive retail appetite is regaining momentum following a brief lull in September, though volumes remained just below the year's records of 81,247 wholesale units in February and 83,421 retail units in August. Across the first ten months of 2026, cumulative wholesale shipments expanded 19.7% year-on-year to 760,476 units, while cumulative retail sales reached 758,653 units.

In the automotive industry, factory-to-dealership shipments (wholesales) serve as the benchmark measure of market health over dealer-to-consumer deliveries (retail sales). Wholesales provide a forward-looking gauge of dealership sentiment, capturing inventory buildup in anticipation of consumer demand, financing terms, and seasonal cycles.

Because these figures trace direct factory output and logistics across the industrial supply chain, they double as a high-frequency proxy for manufacturing activity within gross domestic product (GDP). In addition, centralized reporting to Gaikindo delivers cleaner, faster figures than fragmented nationwide dealership registrations, while directly matching corporate revenue recognition for major listed distributors like PT Astra International Tbk.

Japanese Incumbents Retain Lead as Chinese Automakers Gain Share

Traditional Japanese manufacturers maintained their overall market dominance through October, even as Chinese entrants continued to capture meaningful volume. Toyota led all automotive marques by delivering 23,551 wholesale units in October, securing roughly 29% of monthly shipments. Over the ten-month period, Toyota accumulated 221,358 wholesale units for a 29.1% market share and 217,902 retail units representing 28.7% of total sales.

Daihatsu secured the second spot with 10,772 wholesale units in October, lifting its ten-month wholesale and retail tallies to 123,214 units and 121,471 units, respectively.

In a notable competitive development, Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD climbed to third place in October wholesales by delivering 6,639 units. Over the January-to-October period, BYD accumulated 50,366 wholesale deliveries and 49,065 retail sales. Suzuki followed closely in fourth place for the month with 6,104 units, maintaining third place in cumulative ten-month wholesales at 59,328 units.

Commercial vehicle maker Mitsubishi Fuso ranked fifth in October with 5,145 units, ahead of passenger-car affiliate Mitsubishi Motors at 3,739 units, commercial truck maker Hino at 3,536 units, Chinese brand Jaecoo at 3,514 units, Honda at 3,478 units, and commercial specialist Isuzu with 3,119 units. Over the ten-month timeframe, Mitsubishi Motors retained fourth position overall with 52,153 wholesale deliveries.

Innova Retains Model Crown Amid Rapid Inroads from Electric Compacts

In the individual model rankings, the Toyota Kijang Innova family—combining the Zenix and Reborn variants—secured the top position as Indonesia's best-selling vehicle in October with 4,543 wholesale units.

The all-electric BYD Atto 1 claimed second place with 4,329 units, narrowly surpassing commercial workhorse Daihatsu Gran Max Pickup at 4,212 units. Entry-level passenger vehicles followed, with the Toyota Calya posting 3,827 units and the Toyota Avanza recording 3,552 units.

Chinese newcomer Jaecoo secured sixth place with its J5 sport utility vehicle delivering 3,366 units. The lower half of the top ten featured the Toyota Rush at 3,042 units, the Suzuki Carry Pickup with 3,040 units, the Daihatsu Sigra at 2,654 units, and the electrified Toyota Veloz Hybrid rounding out the table with 2,600 units.