Mobil Rakyat...new cars

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Since the beginning of last year, ‘hidden‘ and flush door handles that pop out officially had a bad reputation.

A year ago, ADAC in Germany first warned of the possible danger of those handles, which can make access to the car unnecessarily difficult in the event of an accident. After a fatal accident in which the door handles played a major role, a ban was discussed in China.

According to Bloomberg, that ban will actually happen. As of 1 January 2027, new applications for Chinese car approvals will be strictly examined for the shape and operation of the door handles. 'Half-resunk' copies like at BMW are still allowed, just like traditional mechanical grips of course.

However, all forms of fully sunken pop-out handles are blacklisted. This applies to both the manual variant, (known from Tesla among others) and the electronic variant that automatically comes out when you approach the car. They even prescribe the minimum size of the recessed space in the car door (6 x 2 x 2 cm) so your hand will fit around it.

For the car manufacturers there is no immediate panic yet. Existing models may keep their handles until early 2029. After that, it's definitely time for a different door handle design.

With this, there is work to be done for the design departments of all kinds of car manufacturers. Although the ban only applies in China for the time being, we can count on the fact that we will also notice the consequences of this in other parts of the world. After all, it is unnecessarily expensive and complex for car manufacturers to develop separate door handles for every continent, so they will switch as soon as possible to a type of handle that is legal worldwide even after 2029.

 

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On February 5-15 the car expo IIMS takes place again at JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta.

The exhibition has more than 180 automotive brands and supporting industries. And 35 of them are car manufacturers.

So if you’re considering a new car or are a car enthousiast, it might make sense to visit.

 

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At that Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) 2026, Honda presents facelifts for three of its SUV models, namely the CR-V, BR-V, and WR-V.

All three come with improved features, technology, and some tweaks to the exterior.

Interesting to note that the CR-V gets an additional hybrid variant option. Previously, the hybrid option was only available on the RS variant, but now it is available to other models as well.

The WR-V as their smallest SUV is getting more expensive. Its main competitor is probably the Toyota Raize.

 

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And Toyota officially launched a new Hybrid EV lineup, namely, New Vios Hybrid EV, New Yaris Cross G Hybrid EV and the New Alphard XE Hybrid EV.


Price List of Toyota Cars Launched at IIMS 2026 (OTR Jakarta)

- New Vios Hybrid EV Rp 460 Million

- New Yaris Cross G Hybrid EV Rp 399 Million

- New Alphard XE Gasoline Rp 1,288 Billion

- New Alphard XE Hybrid EV Rp 1,388 Billion



Price List of New Veloz Hybrid EV (OTR Jakarta)

- New Veloz Hybrid EV Type V Rp 308 Million*

*(The special price of the "Hybrid EV for All" program becomes Rp 303 Million)

- New Veloz Hybrid EV Type Q Rp 325 Million

- New Veloz Hybrid EV Type Q Modellista Rp 350 Million

- New Veloz Hybrid EV Type Q Modellista with TSS Rp 385 Million

 

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Honda recently deleted its announced electric 0 models and now there is another electric project going into the waste bin; Honda and Sony canceled Afeela.

Car manufacturers worldwide, even with the peculiar timing, are questioning the speed at which electric driving is adapted/adopted and they are adjusting their future plans accordingly. Obviously also Honda, which came up with huge plans in this area and has already shown two prototypes. That 0-series was recently nipped in the bud and it already raised questions about Honda's electrical plans with compatriot Sony. You guessed it: those plans won't materialize either.

We are talking about Afeela, the new brand that the two created especially for full electric transportation. Three years ago, the first study model, the Afeela Prototype, appeared. That was a 4.9-meter-long sedan, which allowed it to compete with the Tesla Model S, among others. Not so long ago, at the beginning of this year, there was still a preview of a second and more SUV type model.

Afeela now announced that it will not continue.

 

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But Honda does announce this in RI: