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span class="inline inline-left">Time to shine: Journalists check out Mazda’s latest compact crossover SUV, the CX-5, at its launch in Jakarta on Thursday. The car will compete with the Toyota Fortuner and the Honda CRV in the Indonesian SUV market. JP/R. Berto WedhatamaJapanese car manufacturer Mazda has officially launched into Indonesia’s growing sports utility vehicle (SUV) market with the company’s All-New Mazda CX-5, which included new fuel-efficiency technology.

Mazda Motor Indonesia (MMI) president director Keizo Okue said the company was quite upbeat that the CX-5 would receive a positive response from Indonesian SUV enthusiasts although the new car would have to compete with the established Toyota Fortuner and Honda CRV models which have strong footholds in the market.

“The SUV market is very competitive. However, this hasn’t deterred us from introducing the CX-5 to Indonesia,” Okue said at the model’s launch in Jakarta on Thursday.

He said that he was quite optimistic that the CX-5 would become Mazda’s third highest-selling model after the Mazda 2 hatchback and the BT-50 pick up truck. “The CX-5 offers outstanding fuel efficiency, which is what we believe Indonesian SUV enthusiasts need,” said Okue.

The Mazda 2, contributed 60 percent of Mazda’s total Indonesia’s sales last year, followed by the BT-50 trucks at 20 percent. Mazda expects to sell 3,200 CX-5 units this year.

The CX-5 is equipped with a SKYACTIVE-G 2.0 gasoline engine with a fuel economy of 16 kilometers per liter. The car, set to be available in June, is priced at Rp 375 million (US$ 40,650) for the CX-5 Sport and Rp 410 million for the CX-5 Touring.

Mazda has 30 dealers located throughout Indonesia and they plan to add seven more branches this year at a cost of between Rp 20 billion and Rp 30 billion each.

Okue expects Mazda’s total sales in Indonesia to rise by 33 percent to 12,000 units this year. The sales growth will be less than the 50 percent recorded last year.

“We only targeted a 30 percent sales increase in 2011, but sales rose by more than 50 percent to 9000, exceeding our target of 8000 cars,” he said.

Indonesia is one of the largest car markets in Asia. According to data from the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo), total car sales reached 894,180 units last year, a 17 percent increase from 764,710 units in 2010.

In the first quarter of this year car sales climbed to 249,589 units, 11 percent from last year.

“Indonesia is one of our biggest markets in Southeast Asia. With the launch of the CX-5, we are showing how important we view the Indonesian market for Mazda and how we are committed to bringing our latest products here,” said Mazda Motor executive officer for global sales and marketing Masahiro Moro during the launch.