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rade Minister Gita Wiryawan says the government supports the Kiat Esemka car project initiated by vocational school students in Surakarta, Central Java.

The government is studying the advantages and shortcomings of the locally made car, especially the competitiveness of the proposed financing structure, Gita said during a visit to Surakarta last Friday.

He said that the sale price of the car should not be much higher than that of cars produced by multinational automotive companies.

“Basically we have to protect our consumers so as to enable them to buy cheap but qualified products,” the minister said.

At the moment, the cost of producing a single Kiat Esemka is Rp 300 million (US$33,000), he said. However, if mass-produced, the car could be sold for Rp 95 million off- road, he said.

Gita, accompanied by Surakarta Mayor Joko Widodo, had a ride in a Kiat Esemka driven by Surakarta Deputy Mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo.

Gita said he could not wait to see the car marketed throughout Indonesia. He said the project was proof that Indonesians could produce quality cars.

The Kiat Esemka attracted the attention of the public after Joko Widodo and FX Hadi Rudyatmo said that they wished to use them as their official vehicles. Gita’s verdict on the car was positive. “This car is quite convenient and also luxurious,” he said.

At present, the two Esemka sports utility vehicles (SUV) lent by vocational school SMKN 2 Surakarta to Joko Widodo are being tuned up at the Solo Techno Park in Surakarta.

“This kind of routine maintenance is needed to prevent anything unexpected during the emission testing in Jakarta,” Solo Techno Park’s director of services and development, Gampang Sarwono, said.

Two cars similar to the ones used by the Surakarta mayor and his deputy are to be tested in Jakarta. However, it is still unclear whether Joko Widodo himself will drive the car to Jakarta.

“If the car’s maintenance is completed and equipped with its document, we will bring it to Jakarta for the emission testing,” the mayor said.