On 11 November 2025, I had the privilege of presenting Maverick Indonesia’s latest whitepaper, AI Visibility of the Indonesian Automotive Industry 2025, at the GridOto Awards, an event where the spotlight was not only on horsepower, design, or fuel efficiency, but also on how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping trust and reputation across Indonesia’s automotive landscape.
In collaboration with GRID Network and DataXet, this study is the first of its kind in Indonesia to analyze how generative AI platforms interpret, rank, and summarize information about car and motorcycle brands. What we found reveals a profound shift: AI has quietly become the most influential “influencer” in the industry.
From Search to Summary, Where Decisions Begin
Imagine a consumer asking ChatGPT or Gemini, “What’s the best family car under 300 million rupiah?”
The AI’s response will sound confident and factual, enough to influence a purchase without visiting any other website.
This phenomenon, known as Zero-Click Search, marks a turning point in consumer behavior: people no longer search; they trust the summary. In this new landscape, visibility isn’t earned through page rank or advertising spend, but through credibility, the ability of a brand’s information to be cited and reused by AI engines.
Five Pillars of Automotive Reputation in the Age of AI
The joint study analyzed six popular AI platforms, ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, Google AI Overview, and Grok, across 300 AI-generated answers and more than 3,000 citations. It found that AI does not judge brands by popularity or virality, but by credibility, structure, and consistency.
Here are the five key factors shaping automotive brand reputation through AI:
- Editorial credibility leads reputation.
About 36.5% of all AI citations come from major news outlets such as Kompas.com, GridOto.com, and Detik.com, showing that quality journalism still drives trust more than quantity. - Commerce and marketplace data fuel purchase intent.
AI frequently cites platforms like Oto.com, Moladin, and OLX for structured details on specs, prices, and availability. - Brand websites act as verification sources.
Roughly 16.69% of citations come from official sites that provide factual data on warranties, safety, and after-sales. - Dealer and service pages reinforce local proximity and accessibility.
- Community and association insights provide complementary social proof and context.
AI: The Influencer That Never Sleeps
As Ong Hock Chuan, Maverick’s Founder and Managing Partner, put it:
“Although AI is still relatively new, it’s rapidly becoming the most influential influencer. Our job now is to understand and act on this shift, mastering Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) before it’s too late.”
During my presentation, I emphasized that AI doesn’t just index information, it interprets trust.
Automotive reputation is no longer built by who advertises the most, but by who gets cited the most, credibly and consistently.
Integration: The Key to Navigating the AI Ecosystem
The findings highlight one central truth: integration is no longer optional. PR, digital, SEO, and CRM teams must operate as one, because AI doesn’t see departments, it reads consistency.
Brands that succeed in this environment:
- Keep earned media credible and structured
- Maintain schema-enabled owned content
- Regularly update commerce and aftersales documentation
In this new era, public relations becomes data relations, and clarity becomes currency.
Mainstream Media: The Bridge Between Credibility and Algorithms
As Dian Gemiano, Managing Director of GRID Network, noted during the event:
“Mainstream media plays a critical role in shaping brand reputation within generative AI platforms. Credible journalism doesn’t just inform people, it trains the machines that influence how brands are perceived.”
Our study confirms this: AI consistently favors credible, high-authority sources over high-volume outlets, underscoring the value of narrative quality over quantity.
From Volume to Credibility
This shift demands a new mindset for communicators and marketers alike.
AI doesn’t amplify marketing claims, it archives credibility.
To stay visible and trusted, brands must ensure their information is factually aligned, machine-readable, and verifiable across channels. At Maverick, we believe this convergence between communication and AI isn’t a disruption; it’s an evolution. And those who adapt early will not only stay visible but lead the narrative.
Download the Full Report
Discover how AI evaluates, cites, and ranks automotive brands in Indonesia, and what communicators can do to remain visible, credible, and trusted in the era of generative search.
Download the full report here
AI Visibility of the Indonesian Automotive Industry 2025
by Maverick Indonesia x DataXet x GRID Network
© 2025 Maverick Indonesia. All rights reserved.
