Malaysia-based integrated car e-commerce platform Carsome is bolstering its Indonesian operations via partnership with Indonesian electric vehicle (EV) firm Electrum and has committed to investing in expanding its business in the nation’s planned Nusantara capital.
Carsome said in a statement on Tuesday that it is joining forces with Indonesia-based Electrum to further accelerate two-wheeler electric vehicle (EV) adoption in response to growing local demand for sustainable and economical transportation.
The partnership aims to contribute to the future of Indonesian mobility by encouraging the adoption of sustainable mobility solutions as the nation ramps up towards meeting its energy transition goals.
Electrum is a joint venture established in 2021 between TBS and Gojek with a mission to develop and transform the two-wheeled electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem in Indonesia.
“Our partnership with Electrum will be game-changing. Together, 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,” said Carsome’s Co-Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer Eric Cheng.
As the leading car e-commerce platform with significant operations in Indonesia and the South East Asia region, he said the Carsome will be able to complement Electrum’s growth aspirations to drive EV adoption in Indonesia.
“This partnership also signals a new era in Carsome’s journey to mature our plans and support the anticipated growth in EV adoption across the region,” he added.
Carsome, which participated Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s working visit to Jakarta, also submitted a letter of intent (LOI) citing the company’s interest to set up operations in Nusantara and to invest in digitalizing its automotive industry.
“Carsome thanks the Malaysian Government for the opportunity to be amongst front-runners to invest in the growth of Indonesia’s future capital city Nusantara,
“We’re well-placed to contribute towards strengthening Nusantara’s automotive ecosystem through digitalisation and to drive talent development and job creation with the establishment of new centers in the capital,” said Cheng.
He noted the firm has been present in Indonesia since 2017 and it is committed to taking meaningful actions that support and contribute towards the nation’s socio-economic development needs.
At present, Carsome operates 42 retail centers in Jabodetabek, West Java, and East Java.
It launched Indonesia’s first Carsome Certified Lab in August 2022 which is the largest across its four markets of operation.
In June 2022, Carsome Academy, Carsome’s automotive technical institute, was launched in Jakarta to further increase skilled workforce in the automotive industry.
Other strategic alliances in Indonesia include acquisitions of iCar Asia, Southeast Asia’s largest online auto classified platform which operates Mobil123 in Indonesia; equity share acquisition of PT Universal Collection, Jakarta-based car and motorcycle auction service company with subsidiaries across Indonesia.
Carsome is Southeast Asia’s largest integrated car e-commerce platform. With operations across Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, the firm aims to digitize the region’s used car industry by reshaping and elevating the car transaction and ownership experience.
Together with subsidiary brands iCar Asia, WapCar and CarTimes, Carsome provides end-to-end solutions to consumers and used car dealers across the decision funnel, from car content consumption, car inspection, ownership transfer to financing and other ancillary services.
Carsome currently has more than 4,000 employees across all its offices in Asia.