By：Electric Motorcycles Commune
Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/PpeRD-63V5Mh0CE6SO7X3g
Previously at Motor China, the E-Motorcycle Commune team had prepared diligently, hoping to witness an extravaganza of motorcycle electrification on the spot. After all, the prior year’s Motor China was teeming with electrification elements. Not only were there specialized electric motorcycle exhibition booths, but brands also launched electric motorcycles and electrification plans at the venue. For a moment, the industry seemed to glimpse the dawn of petroleum-based motorcycles transitioning to electric power.
The past year of 2022 was the inaugural year of a slew of new e-motorcycle products, earning it the title of the genesis year for high-end e-motorcycles in China. Although Motor China wasn’t held due to exceptional circumstances, the year-end CIMA Motor proved to be a blossoming exhibition for e-motorcycles, with an unprecedented proportion of e-motorcycle booths, fueling industry expectations for the electrification element at the motorcycle show.
However, at this year’s Motor China, the marginalization of e-motorcycles was starkly apparent. Brands that we had high hopes for generally tucked their e-motorcycles away in corners at the venue. For example, BICOSE was hidden in VOGE’s corner, and CINECO required careful searching within ZONGSHEN’s booth to be found.
At the Motor China event two years prior, KYMCO, which had conducted an electric motorcycle theme release, merely displayed a few familiar products this time around. Although their overall presentation held more weight than other brands, they were not as proactive as before. QJMOTOR, comparatively livelier, brought nearly their entire e-motorcycle range, but their focus seemed weakened compared to the e-motorcycle themed booth of two years ago.
Looking at foreign brands, HONDA and YAMAHA, among others, have launched numerous and popular e-motorcycles overseas, but these haven’t ignited the domestic market. The few EB models previously released by HONDA also didn’t make an appearance at the exhibition. PIAGGIO, which had prominently displayed the electric product Piaggo 1 two years prior, didn’t have a single e-motorcycle on display this year. BMW provided some excitement by showcasing the familiar CE 04.
From a holistic perspective, pure electric brands present were only ZEEHO, GOWOW, TALARIA, and ARCTIC, the latter three of which are electric off-road brands. ZEEHO electric, perhaps the currently hottest pure electric brand domestically, after the AE8’s successful sales last year, launched the light e-motorcycle C!TY PLAY and the electric moped C!TY FUN this year, continuing to make inroads into the commuter market with their trendy products. The concept model Magnet Concept, previously launched in Milan, also attracted numerous onlookers. Although it was an outdoor exhibit, it became one of the few e-motorcycle highlights at the Beijing exhibition. From conversations with many brands at the venue, it became clear that motorcycle enterprises reversing their electrification strategy had become a reality. Some brands have even clearly stated that they won’t be making more moves in the e-motorcycle field this year. This negative sentiment stems from confidence shaken by a lack of market and user response after brands dove headfirst into the e-motorcycle market last year.
Meanwhile, the domestic petrol-motorcycle market is booming, leading many motorcycle enterprises to refocus on their core business. Starting from the year before last, the domestic motorcycle market, while benefiting from favorable policies, also began to fall into a new round of intense competition, with the pricing of new motorcycles declining being a case in point. Everyone is in a rush to seize the market. With this rise and fall, it’s not surprising that the strategic focus of motorcycle enterprises has shifted away from e-motorcycles. Most brands perhaps prefer to wait until the market matures before reaping the benefits.
For pure electric brands, the reduction in competitors might be a good thing. However, for the overall development of China’s electric motorcycles, it may also mean a slowing of pace. We’ve always said that electrification is an opportunity for China’s two-wheelers to overtake. Compared to the decades of painstaking catch-up in the petrol-motorcycle field, the rise of electric two-wheelers occurred in China, with the world’s most comprehensive e-motorcycle industry chain and the largest domestic market. We should seize this advantage, rather than once again assume the role of the “chaser.”