From Hit to System, Wuling Spent Nine Years in Indonesia

On July 29, the Wuling Aira ev officially launched at the Indonesia International Motor Show. The new car comes in two versions: standard range and long range. CLTC ranges are 205 km and 301 km respectively. Prices in the Jakarta area are 155 million and 175 million Indonesian Rupiah respectively (approximately 39,000 and 45,000 RMB).

An starting price of 155 million Indonesian Rupiah brought a four-door pure electric vehicle into a more mass-market price range locally. The Aira ev continues the product foundation of the fifth-generation Wuling Hongguang MINI EV and has been adapted for the Indonesian market, including right-hand drive, charging interface, and interior color schemes, becoming a new product for Wuling to continue to deepen its development of the urban pure electric market.

The Aira ev may look like just an entry-level electric vehicle, but behind it lies the local factory, supply chain, channels, and user base that Wuling has built over nine years in Indonesia.

Unlike when the Air ev initially entered an immature pure electric market, the Aira ev faces a competitive environment with more brands and richer product options.

To continue expanding its market share position locally, Wuling now relies not just on a hit product, but on a localized operational system capable of continuously launching, producing, and delivering new products.

Nine Years of Rooting

Wuling Has Built More Than Just a Factory

In 2017, Wuling officially launched its first model in Indonesia.

Since then, Wuling has continuously strengthened the Cikarang factory and the local supply chain, and expanded its sales and after-sales service networks.

As of July 2026, Wuling has cumulatively produced 200,000 vehicles in Indonesia, acquired 180,000 local users, exported a cumulative 10,000 vehicles made in Indonesia, and has been among the top 10 passenger car brands locally.

Wuling is also the first Chinese automotive enterprise to assemble electric vehicle batteries locally in Indonesia.

In 2025, Wuling's retail sales in Indonesia reached 20,607 units.

Over the past nine years, Wuling not only completed the leap from product introduction to local production, but also steadily secured a share of the market in a sector long dominated by Japanese brands such as Toyota, Daihatsu, Honda, Mitsubishi, and Suzuki, securing a space for Chinese brands.

As of July 2025, Wuling has 150 dealerships in Indonesia covering sales and after-sales services.

The local factory not only produces fuel vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and pure electric vehicles, but also undertakes export tasks to other countries and regions.

For Chinese brands entering Indonesia later, factories, channels, and consumer awareness still need to be built from scratch; for Wuling, these links have already formed a business system capable of continuously supporting product introduction and market expansion.

The most important achievement of Wuling's nine years of operation is not just the growth in cumulative production and user numbers, but growing from a latecomer in the Indonesian automotive market into a local participant capable of long-term competition with Japanese brands and forming differentiated advantages in the new energy sector.

As an important pivot for the SAIC Group in the Southeast Asian market, the manufacturing, channels, and user base Wuling has accumulated in Indonesia also provide support for the group to continue to deepen its development of the local market.

The fact that the Aira ev was able to complete local production and dealer stocking before launch and start delivery immediately after launch is a direct manifestation of this system working.

From Air ev to Aira ev

First-Mover Advantage is Becoming a Product System

Wuling fought for market share from Japanese brands, and the area where it truly achieved a breakthrough is new energy.

In 2022, the Air ev launched in Indonesia. With its compact size, city commuting, and low operating cost, it was the first to open up the local small pure electric vehicle market.

As of July 2024, Wuling electric vehicles had cumulatively sold over 20,000 units in Indonesia; Wuling also disclosed that from January to June 2024, the pure electric product lineup composed of Air ev, BinguoEV, and Cloud EV captured 52% of the local electric vehicle market share, making Wuling the top-selling electric vehicle brand in Indonesia at that time.

The Air ev not only brought sales but also helped Wuling complete early market education.

When choices for pure electric vehicles in Indonesia were still limited, Wuling proved first that small-sized, city-commute-friendly electric vehicles could generate significant demand, gradually building consumer awareness in the region about Chinese electric vehicles and locally produced pure electric models.

As brands such as BYD, Jaecoo, Geely, and Chery accelerated their entry, the Indonesian new energy market shifted from being developed by a few brands to comprehensive competition in products, prices, channels, and services.

From January to April 2026, Wuling's wholesale sales were 5,178 units, ranking third among Chinese car brands in Indonesia, second only to BYD and Jaecoo, higher than Geely, Chery, and GAC Aion, remaining in the first tier of local Chinese brands.

Wuling's competitive approach has also changed.

Early on relying on the Air ev to break into the small pure electric market, now it expands its coverage through models of different sizes, prices, and energy types.

The Air ev and Aira ev target the urban small pure electric market, BinguoEV and Cloud EV extend towards space and comfort needs, Darion enters the new energy family MPV market, Eksion covers SUV and lifestyle needs, while Mitra EV, Formo, and Formo Max target commercial scenarios.

This product lineup ensures Wuling's advantage is no longer limited to "launching an electric vehicle earlier".

When new segmented demands arise, Wuling can find corresponding products from its existing product and technology systems, then use the local factory and channels to quickly complete the introduction.

The Air ev helped Wuling gain a first-mover position in new energy, while the subsequent product matrix converted this advantage into the ability to continuously operate in the market.

The Aira ev is the latest step in this.

The new car adopts the platform and technology system of the fifth-generation Wuling Hongguang MINI EV, and adjusts the steering wheel position, interior color, and charging interface for the Indonesian market, changing the charging interface from the GB/T standard used in the Chinese market to the CCS2 standard used locally.

Mature platforms control development and manufacturing costs, while local adaptation allows products to enter the market faster.

More critically is the price.

Wuling previously hoped to keep the Aira ev price within 200 million Indonesian Rupiah, but the final starting price of 155 million Indonesian Rupiah is significantly lower than this target.

The standard range version helps lower the purchase threshold, the long range version expands the usage radius, and the four-door design fills the gap in rear seat convenience left by the Air ev.

After the small pure electric market moved from empty to crowded, Wuling did not simply rely on lowering the Air ev price, but used its mature small pure electric product system to launch a new car with a lower price and more practical four doors, re-expanding its market coverage.

The Aira ev aims to appeal to city users who previously did not accept two-door models, attract first-time car buyers sensitive to price, and consumers originally prepared to buy fuel cars at the same price point.

The simultaneous progress of launch and delivery allows Wuling to participate in market competition quickly.

The Aira ev is locally produced by the Cikarang factory, vehicles were shipped to dealers before launch, and the long-range version allows qualified consumers to pick up the car on the day of launch.

The simultaneous launch of products, manufacturing, and channels reflects the system efficiency formed by Wuling's nine-year accumulation.

From Local Manufacturing to Local Operations

Wuling Enters the Next Stage

Wuling has long used the concept "Wuling Built in Indonesia For You" in Indonesia, which can be understood as "Made in Indonesia for Local Users".

Over the past nine years, Wuling has completed whole vehicle production, battery assembly, channel construction, user accumulation, and export layout.

But local manufacturing is just the first step of the SAIC Glocal strategy landing.

What truly determines competitiveness is whether it can leverage SAIC's global resources in products, technology, and supply chains, combined with local consumers' price affordability, road environments, and usage scenarios, to continuously launch new products.

The Aira ev is a concrete manifestation of this model.

It inherits the mature platform of the fifth-generation Wuling Hongguang MINI EV, completes right-hand drive, charging standards, and configuration adaptation in Indonesia, is produced by the Cikarang factory, and then completes sales and delivery through the existing dealer network.

Wuling officials also mentioned that the Aira ev incorporates the creativity and effort of young Indonesian employees, and the local team has already participated in the product implementation process.

Global platforms solve product maturity and cost issues, while the localized system is responsible for turning the product into versions suitable for the local market.

For SAIC, Glocal is not simply copying domestic models overseas, nor just establishing production bases locally, but transforming global technology and product resources through local teams, factories, and channels into products ultimately acceptable to local consumers.

Nine years ago, Wuling needed to prove that Chinese brands could produce and sell cars in Indonesia;

After the Air ev launched, it proved that Chinese brands could open up the local pure electric market first.

Today, the Aira ev needs to prove whether the manufacturing, channels, user, and product systems formed by Wuling over nine years can continue to be converted into the ability to judge and respond to new demands.

Wuling's competitiveness in Indonesia is no longer just about entering a few years earlier than latecomers, nor just about a product that was once leading.

More importantly, when market demand and competitive landscapes change, it can already rely on the product and technical foundation provided by the SAIC Glocal strategy, as well as its own business system established locally, to quickly launch new products and truly deliver them to consumers.