ASEAN is now poised to be the hotspot for global automotive manufacturing. The increasing number of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) operating in ASEAN has played a pivotal role in driving demand in the automotive industry. Against that backdrop, the South East Asia Automotive Summit 2014 gathered key industry stakeholders, such as global car OEMs, government bodies, associations, as well as manufacturing solutions providers and consultants, to discuss the market outlook and potential business opportunities. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, was amongst the speakers at the 3rd Annual South-East Asia Automotive Summit held in Jakarta. In his presentation, Bahar emphasized the importance of implementing a localized market strategy to penetrate the market. He identified key internal and external factors that would influence automotive localization in the ASEAN region. He shared that there are abundant business opportunities i