Back in the 80s and early 90s Indonesia used to have a properly run airplane factory that produced an actual airplanes of the CN 235 model, a mid-sized airplane that can carry 30 passengers along with their relatively small luggage and has a flying range to a “acceptable” distances.
At the time, this particular airplane was the “lighthouse”, the “show-and-tell”, the “crown and jewel” product of our nation.
Well, back then there were not many countries in the world that could produce the plane.
We were able to… sort of.
The industry was supposedly designed to be an arrowhead, and attraction for foreign investors, and a showpiece for the rest of the world that “Indonesia, as a developing country, is actually making developments”. This even though the only part of the airplane that was actually (100%) made in Indonesia were the doors. The rest of the parts were made in China, Germany, Japan and India.
The industry attracted the supposedly “crème-de-la- crème” Indonesians of the day. They were proud people. I remember seeing their brand new shiny cars in their big parking lot, which was close to my high school in Bandung. They were provided for employees by the company (The IPTN, short for Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara).
The higher-paid employees bought their own cars, usually of a type similar to the company car. It was hard for me not to fall under the impression that they were making a gesture to show outsiders that they were superior. Back then, we were only too happy to confirm their false pride.
In those days, I myself fell victim to that belief. I even put a sincere effort to convince myself that IPTN was “the place” for a career after I graduated from college.
I was wrong… an honest mistake.
Their so-called achievements are mere history now.
Only a a dozen of airplanes was sold from 1996 until today. In 1998, the government practically begged Thailand and Vietnam to trade planes with rice, massive quantities of it. That policy literally destroyed the local rice farming industry, and created a whole new level of corruption in our logistic department (BULOG).
More than 10,000 workers in the nation were laid off without any security during the period from 1997 to 2000, which created a national workers’ protest, thus forcing the government to renew their labor law in 2003. Unfortunately this protest is unsettled until this day and neither the government nor the workers have gained from their unproductive discourse.
The global crisis really hit Indonesia hard, like a bullet to the head, but it was always bound to happen when our debt in US dollars outweighed our revenues.
In the last decade, Indonesia saw through the governance styles of four different presidents. Along the way, we have found ourselves in the internet era of interactive and real-time Information Technology assisted economy.
In 2006, the government decided that they were going to “seriously focus” on a national car. This vehicle would be a 100% made in Indonesia by Indonesians and for Indonesians. This venture was to be a new beginning for our national technology developments. I was excited.
Unfortunately, they have come out with a car that they are so proud to call the “Tawon” (Wasp). I was less than impressed: a child’s soap-box stroller would be offended by the name. By its visual design, even wasps as a species might get offended.
It is only fair for me now to disclose that I am first and foremost and automobile enthusiast. I live and breathe car design and performance. There are several characteristics of the car that I feel I need to analyze on a deeper level, being: concept, safety, fuel efficiency, affordability, performance, comfort, and aesthetics. With all due respect, my constructive criticism of the Tawon is as follows:
Concept
The car is build with a “city car” concept, so it is supposed to be small in size. In this part the designer is perhaps takes the idea a bit too far. The car is very small. It is so small that you have to throw everything out (including your dignity) just to get in the passenger seat. So if you are a family of 5 (the average size for an Indonesian family), you need to leave one of your family members at home. My recommendation is that you should leave your oldest son, just to save him from humiliation.
Safety
The Tawon’s chassis and body works does not inspire safety. The chassis and body works are constructed out of recycled metal that is actually composed of used soda cans, fridges, oven, electric poles, bikes, and other scraps. The plastic parts are likewise recycled from plastic junk.
One could argue that this is actually an achievement, because we are actually helping Mother Nature and possibly even doing something about global warming. In theory, the Tawon is an eco friendly car. However, this construction fails to consider one cardinal rule: the car should be safe and otherwise roadworthy. There is an international minimum standard for the construction of cars, and in the case of the Tawon, it is as safe as a coffin on wheels.
There is no measurement of “central of gravity”. No crumple zone, the rear bumper is the rear body. No side beam to protect passengers from side crash. No air bags. The measurement of the car body size compared with the wheels is reminiscent of a fridge with skateboard wheels. You might need to use your feet to hold the car from tumbling sideways during every tight turn.
There are standards of safety that any carmaker/builder must meet, according to a nationally enforced regulation. In Britain they have to pass the MOT, and in America the DMV, to make sure that their vehicles are road worthy. The sole principle for this standard is the obvious fact that just one car could greatly affect the safety of all other users on the road. That is why even very simple parts such as turn signals or brake lights are so integral to the totality of how traffic systems work.
Unfortunately, such standards for the construction of cars are not present in Indonesia. Here, you could fill your supercharged engine with rocket fuel if you want, without requiring any kind of license.
Fuel efficiency
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the Tawon is its fuel. In a time when human ingenuity has managed to use palm oil to fuel internal combustion engines, and in a country that produces more palm oil than any other in the world, the Tawon’s genius designers have somehow decided to design a car that runs on liquid natural gas (LNG). For this particular design choice they deserve a standing ovation.
I am comfortable with the concept of using gas as a fuel for a stove or an oven. The reason being is that a stove or an oven is required to produce flames. But obviously, open flames are not what you would like around your internal combustion engines.
You would only feel safe if you knew and felt sure that the LNG is stored in a very strong container. Strong containers are usually heavy, and made out of strong material. It can only be light if it made out of titanium. So it is unfortunate that the Tawon does not use titanium. Believe me, it is not a good idea to be sitting in an LNG powered car that is made out of recycled material, running at 50 mph in a crowded street. Not even Evil Knievel was so daring.
The only reason the government encourages these geniuses to use LNG in their design is because Indonesia has a lot of gas. We have enough gas to spend excessively that would not run out for 300 years. That’s 7 generations. Therefore using LNG is the much cheaper option.
They say that the car can run up to 15 miles on 1 kg of LNG. A regular household LNG container is usually filled with 15 kgs of LNG, so this car (if using the same amount) can run up to 225 miles (a petrol powered engine with the same capacity can run for 30 miles with 1 liter of fuel).
For a city the size of Jakarta, that amount of fuel would last at least for 3 days. There are only a handful of petrol stations in Jakarta that actually sells liquid gas, and they are located very remotely from each other.
So this car is literally is a city car, meaning that you could not drive the Tawon outside Jakarta because there wouldn’t be any petrol station that sells LNG outside of the city. So if I wanted to go to Bandung in the Tawon today, I could be there in 2015, because that is when the government will actually sells liquid gas in every petrol station (according to their LNG plan).
To fill a tank with LNG is actually an involved process that takes at least an hour or more. If you are a man that relies on time to make money, this car would drive you crazy, not to mention that it is more expensive to maintain a gas powered engine compared to the petrol engine. The odds are greatly stacked against any argument that the Tawon could be fuel efficient.
Affordability
The Company producing this car, PT Super Gasindo Indonesia Jaya (GIJ), claimed that they would release this car to the market with 48 million rupiah ($4500) price tag. They have stated that the model is targeted to replace the infamous Bajaj in Jakarta, and that is apparently the reason why the car is painted orange.
Incidentally, this is where I draw the line. There are two reasons why there are so many road accidents in Jakarta, the first is because of pot-holes, and the second is the Bajaj. Bajaj drivers don’t recognize any traffic regulations and signs. They do not respect other road users. They never know how to turn properly and you would be lucky if they signal.
Luckily the Bajaj has a very low horse power, thus preventing them from driving any faster than 40 mph. The combination of the Tawon with the Bajaj mentality, therefore, is like giving a child handgun. They will not have the ability to take care of the car properly to keep the road safe for other users.
Another look at this particular issue is after sales services. There are none.
There won’t be any 24/7 standby mechanics to assist you should your Tawon break down. There won’t be any Tawon dealerships or shops for owners to come and visit to check their car.
Now, for 48 million you could have a wide range of choices. Mostly used cars, such as Toyota and Suzuki with good condition. If you are going to use it commercially then you need a reliable and durable car. It would better if it came from known carmakers from familiar brands, like the aforementioned. With a comparable amount of money you could actually buy two used 90s minivan from Suzuki. You would have a fleet instead of a “bug”.
Performance & Comfort
The car has 650cc gas powered engine and weighs nearly a ton. So according to the power and weight ratio of this car it is obvious that you cannot expect to feel any “torque sensation”. It has 15 horsepower and claims to reach top speed of 60mph. It is a blast.
The reason why the petrol engine is still popular compared with any other type of engine, is because of that particular reason. The performance. If a 1500cc petrol engine can travel up to 15 miles in 1 liter of petrol, this means that they could run more than 30 miles with 750cc engine. It would be faster and more economical.
The interior of this car is pitiful. The dashboard is made out of used plastics. There is no power window, no power steering, and the suspension is made out of carved rocks. The people who have driven a Tawon have claimed that they lost weight due to the tremendous vibrations.
Aesthetics
The design sense of aesthetic of the Tawon is unfortunately a setback and insult to car designers everywhere. Admittedly, looking at this car makes you want to smile.
Overall, this car is a serious hazard to anyone who drives them and anyone around them. The government should consider changing their consumer protection law if they want to actually release this car in the market. The Tawon doesn’t even have a seat belt. Just for this reason it is potentially a magnet for negligence suits and ambulance-chasing lawyers.
As an Indonesian, I believe that we could build a much better car than this one if we just stop enmeshing our national development with our troubled politics.
We are once a country that built airplane. We can build a nice car.
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