If the Japanese don't start getting serious about electric motos, the Chinese are going to steamroll them. When I started visiting China 6 years ago, there were electric scooters everywhere. They are serious about the future of motos, while the Japanese seem to be waffling. Never heard of Niu, but this article seems to imply that they're becoming popular: https://advrider.com/eicma-overview...utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=11_22_2019 "With respect to BMW’s unquestioned expertise, please note that Chinese manufacturer Niu is the fastest-growing brand in just about all European markets it has entered. It showed three new models in Milan, as well as a maxi-scooter concept. Niu is not (yet) available in Australia, but it appears to be going great guns in the US from a small beginning, so its success is a clear lesson."
Loved this caption.. A motorcycle does not have to be electrically-driven to be ugly, as Honda demonstrates here.
Chinese companies have historically been unable to build a brand following, which is why I don't think any of the Japanese mfgs care that they're not first to market. When they see the demand, they'll jump in. Why take the risk now?
As someone who works for a large Japanese company...dont forget how effing slow they are to change. They could be working on electric bikes/scooters for the last 5 years and they would still 5 years from market....Some of that is deserved so as to get the product right but man...i thought German and American large corps were slow....this pace is slower than glaciers...
