The automotive industry in Indonesia is experiencing a surge recently, thanks to the proliferation of electrification in the Archipelago. Not only are Chinese and legacy car brands flocking to the country to set up shop, the boom has also brought along several new Indonesian marques, and the latest of which, making its debut at the 2025 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS), is called i2C.
i2C – which stands for Indonesian Indigenous Car – is a new electric vehicle (EV) brand by PT Teknologi Militer Indonesia (TMI), a company specialising in military defence systems. Obviously, a defence-tech outfit won’t know much about making cars, so TMI has also roped in help from other parties, including an unnamed partner that has provided a donor car as its base, as well as legendary design house Italdesign as a collaborator for the car’s styling.
TMI claims that the i2C car is the first vehicle to be developed completely from Indonesian intellectual property: “The design was done by Indonesians, we only requested for advice from Italdesign”, TMI’s President and CEO, Harsusantu, told Kompas. Debuting at GIIAS 2025 as a full-sized clay model, the i2C display car (that is still unnamed) is a large six-seater SUV that sports a boxy yet futuristic design not too dissimilar to the Kia EV9.
According to Italdesign’s website, the design of the car was created to “express a strong visual identity and a spirit of adventure, without compromising elegance and functionality”. Many iconic Indonesian cultural elements have been integrated into the design, including the Garuda – Indonesia’s national symbol of strength, wisdom, and sovereignty – on the front fascia, as well as batik patterns in the car’s interior.
TMI says that the i2C show car is not merely a design study; it was also conceived for production readiness. “All of its design takes into consideration the availability of tooling and [local] supply chain, so that production costs don’t become overboard, the CEO said.
Components such as mirrors and lights were adapted for local production, and while batteries and motors are still sourced from global vendors, TMI says that the integration system, software, and platform were all developed by the local i2C team in Indonesia.
Based on preliminary specifications shared at the auto show, the i2C SUV will sport a single rear-mounted motor capable of dishing out 204 hp and 310 Nm of torque, which should translate to a 0-100 km/h sprint time of an estimated 9.1 seconds.
TMI quotes a CLTC range of 617 km from a 83.4 kWh battery pack, which leads us to believe that the donor car is of Chinese origin. Nevertheless, charging is supported at up to 11 kW AC and 150 kW DC, the company says.
The company plans to introduce a complete version of the design concept at next year’s auto show, but before that, it will build some 40 to 50 prototypes for the purpose of further design development and evaluation, crash testing, and production feasibility.
TMI is targeting for the i2C SUV to begin mass production in Indonesia by the end of 2027 or early 2028, with a target price of below IDR500 milliion (approx. RM130k).
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