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Ford’s compact EcoSport SUV made a big splash at the New Delhi Auto Show 2012, but Indonesian Ford fans will have to wait a little longer for the vehicle to hit the market. The EcoSport was first launched in South America in 2003. The new version was engineered at the Ford Development Center in Camacari, Brazil, a hub for the Dearborn, Michigan automaker’s compact car development. Although local drivers won’t get to try out the EcoSport just yet, Managing Director of Ford Motor Indonesia Bagus Susanto said the country will get two additional “all-new” Ford alternatives this year, the Ranger and Focus. But no precise release information was available.

In a bid to boost sales this year, Ford is adding eight additional dealerships and after-sale centers to the 40 it currently has across the country. Ford official s have said recently that they expect Indonesia to pass Thailand as Southeast Asia’s biggest auto market and the company is looking into opening a manufacturing facility here. The Indonesian Automotive Industry Association estimates that as many 960,000 cars will be sold here in 2012, up from about 870, 000 in 2011.

More Motorbikes, Big & Small

The swelling motorcycle population in Jakarta doesn’t seems likely to slow down and even more models will enter the market this month.

Motorcycle giant Yamaha is scheduled to release the Mio Fino, an automatic scooter especially designed to appeal to women, next week. The Fino is a new variant of the Mio, which was introduced to the Indonesian market in 2009.

Also, Italian motorcycle producer Benelli will begin marketing its big bikes here next month.

Jakarta has seen a dramatic — some would say too dramatic — increase in motorcycles in the past four years. Jakarta Traffic Police data up to May 2010, recorded 8 million motorcycles in Jakarta, an amount nearly equal to the total population of the city.

The industry remains bullish even as the streets get clogged with two wheelers. Eko Prabowo, promotions manager for Yamaha Motor Kencana Indonesia, said the fashionable Fino will be available in three varieties: classic, trendy and sporty.

In a move to catch up with other Italian brands that are popular here, Benelli is set to make a splashy entrance with three big, beefy motorcycles for the macho speed-demon crowd — the Benelli Cafe Racer 1130, Benelli Century Racer 899 and Benelli Tre-K 1130.

“We will bring motorcycles with smaller cc’s after the three big bikes,” said Joel Kusma, the brand’s business development manager, as quoted by Detikcom.

Lexus Gets the Concept

Concept cars stretch the imagination and are often the public’s first glance at automotive innovation. In a category that can include the most impressive cars, a real winner must be something special. The Lexus FL-Lc Concept car got the nod from the industry this year.

With its traffic-stopping looks, the Lexus took the top prize, the EyesOn Design Award for best concept car, at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show.

“The LF-LC was a dream car to design and a true collaborative effort at Calty. It is an honor to have that work recognized by our peers and to receive the award,” Kevin Hunter, President of the Calty design center where the car was created, said as quoted by autoevolution.com.

“The LF-LC is a striking design and breathtaking in its beauty. The team at Lexus quickly fell in love with this concept vehicle and it’s rewarding to see that the industry agreed,” added Mark Templin, Lexus US group vice president and general manager. “Receiving the EyesOn Design Award is a great start to what promises to be a fantastic year for Lexus.”