Malaysia's Carsome partners Indonesia's Electrum to boost two-wheeler EV demand

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 (Bernama) -- Malaysia-based integrated car e-commerce platform Carsome has partnered Indonesia’s Electrum to accelerate two-wheeler electric vehicle (EV) adoption to meet the growing demand for sustainable and economical transportation there. Electrum, a 2021 joint venture between Gojek and TBS Energi Utama, aims to drive Indonesia to emerge as a global EV leader. “Our partnership with Electrum will be game-changing. We are exploring options to encourage two-wheeler EV adoption as demand grows for more economical and sustainable mobility solutions to power the nation’s economic growth. “As the leading car e-commerce platform with significant operations in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, we will be able to complement Electrum’s growth aspirations,” said Carsome’s co-founder and group chief executive officer Eric Cheng. The collaboration signals a new era in Carsome’s journey to bring its plans to fruition in support of the anticipated regional EV growth, he said. Carsome, having participated in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s recent working visit to Jakarta, also announced its commitment to expand its business in Indonesia’s future capital Nusantara. Cheng submitted a letter of intent (LOI) to the International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, citing the company’s interest to set up operations in Nusantara and to invest in digitalising its automotive industry. The ceremony was witnessed by Anwar, accompanied by Foreign Minister Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Werdiningsih and Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono. Anwar also witnessed Tengku Zafrul’s handover of the LOI to Nusantara Capital City Authority chairman Bambang Susantono in the presence of Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Monday. Cheng said Carsome has been in Indonesia since 2017 and it is committed to support and contribute to Indonesia’s socio-economic development needs. It currently operates 42 retail centres in Jabodetabek, West Java, and East Java. It launched Indonesia’s first Carsome-certified lab in August 2022, the largest across the four markets it is operating in. Its automotive technical institute Carsome Academy was launched in Jakarta in June 2022 to raise the industry’s skilled workforce. Other alliances in Indonesia include acquisitions of iCar Asia, Southeast Asia’s largest online auto classified platform which operates Mobil123 in Indonesia, and its equity share acquisition of PT Universal Collection, a Jakarta-based car and motorcycle auction service company with subsidiaries across the archipelago. With its presence across Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, Carsome aims to digitalise the region’s used car industry by reshaping and elevating the car buying and selling experience. -- BERNAMA