Taiwan-made PTWs Raise Eyebrows at Motorcycle Taiwan 2009
2009/10/09 | By Quincy Liang
The show also enjoyed an impressive exhibitor turnout, indicating that the PTW industry is still riding high despite the global economic downturn.
The four-day show ran from April 16 to 19 at the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) Exhibition Hall 1. A record 1,429 foreign buyers (up 53.81% from 2008) attended according to show organizer Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and co-organizer China Economics News Service (CENS), a leading provider of print, event and online media for the automotive and motorcycle markets. Japan sent the largest buyer group this year, followed by the U.S., Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Korea, China, Germany and the Philippines. The show also received about 16,000 general public visitors, up 23% from 2008.
This year's event was held concurrently with two other major exhibitions—the Taipei Int'l Auto Parts & Accessories Show (Taipei AMPA 2009) and AutoTronics Taipei International Automobile Electronics Show (AutoTronics Taipei 2009). The triple-show format created a truly all-in-one forum representing virtually every type of PTW on the market. To minimize overlap, Taipei AMPA 2009 and AutoTronics Taipei 2009 kicked off on April 14, two days before Motorcycle Taiwan.
The major product lines shown at the Motorcycle Taiwan 2009 include complete vehicles (motorcycles, scooters, all terrain vehicles (ATVs), electric scooters, and electric bicycles), engines and parts, vehicle frames, accessories, riding accessories, vehicle testing and inspection equipment, and noise and emissions testing equipment. Many of the products on display highlighted green tech, compact design, fuel efficiency, light weight, and safety.
At the show forums, speakers underscored the upbeat sales prospects for motorcycles and scooter in the current market. Many also noted that Taiwan is well positioned to excel in the rising market due to its highly competitive and well-made products.
Onorino Di Tanna, a specialist of vehicle design and analysis in the Technical Innovation Department at Piaggio, told the audience how his company adapts unique R&D plans to cater to each regional market. Taiwan Golden Bee (TGB) president George Lin shared the marketing strategy that successfully turned his company from a traditional OEM manufacturer into an own-brand founder. Robin Hartfiel, editor-in-chief at V-Twin Magazine of the U.S., offered an in-depth analysis of the U.S. industry, noting that "There is huge potential for Taiwan motorcycle makers in the U.S." He also noted that gas price fluctuations are boosting the popularity of motorcycles.
Over the past decade Taiwan makers have steadily changed lanes from low-priced labor-intensive OEM manufacturing to the more lucrative ODM (original design manufacturing) market, developing their own bands, features, and operations.
The move has been accompanied by a determined advance by Taiwan producers on quality, which is also winning over global buyers for motorcycle parts, accessories and finished PTWs made in Taiwan. Buyers from Europe, the U.S., Japan and Southeast Asia are all trekking to Taiwan to source products.
One of the crowd favorites at this year's show was the Bike Modification Contest, with 100 competing entries from PTW parts makers, suppliers and enthusiasts.
Local producers also made a splash with displays of electric scooters, batteries and other related products.
One electric scooter that attracted a lot of attention was the e-MO, from E-Ton Power Tech Co., Ltd., an e-vehicle business division under the powertrain group of E-Ton Group.
Unlike many e-scooters that are simply converted from internal combustion engine models, the e-MO was designed from the ground up as an electrical model.
The e-MO weighs only 50kg with the battery pack and has 14-inch aluminum front and rear wheel rims. According to E-Ton sales manager Chris Lai, the e-MO has a cruising range of about 40 to 45 km and a top speed of 45 km per hour (kph). The bike has two power output options, including power mode for high-power and standard mode for normal riding.
Lai says that the e-MO is powered by a 48V DC brushless motor with rated horsepower of 750 watts. The portable lithium-ion battery pack weighs only 5.6kg and can be 80% recharged from a wall socket (either 110V or 220V) in 90 minutes to two hours or fully recharged in two and a half hours.
Lai claims that the e-MO is targeted at female students and office workers, seniors, and green-minded people.
Independent Suspension ATV
Taiwan Golden Bee (TGB) showcased its luxury cruiser scooter X-motion at this year's show. The high-end scooter is powered by a 125cc water-cooled engine. The company also sells a 250cc model. The 500cc Blade 525, an upgrade from the Blade 425 utility ATV and the newly debuted Target 525 sport ATV with 503cc engine also joined the company's display.
TGB president George Lin claims that the Blade 525 and Target 525 have several outstanding functions that parallel or even exceed other counterparts in the market, including a manual differential lock system, upgraded engine horsepower to 25KW, an independent suspension system for smoother riding and road adaptability, and 14-inch wheels.
TGB has rapidly and successfully tapped into the global market with self-developed, superior-quality, innovative products and a successful marketing strategy. The company was the No. 2 ATV supplier in France in 2007 and 2008, and first among foreign brands. The company has kept its production lines busy by matching Japanese and American makers on quality, performance, and functions, while beating them on price. TGB has also benefited from localizing its products to meet different target markets for both professional and general-purpose models.
Lin says that his company is also upgrading its marketing capability to improve access to distributors and consumers in various markets.
TGB's competitive edge also owes to a steady stream of new-products. Currently, the company is working on new 650cc, 800cc, and 1,000cc V-twin engines to power future products.
Hartford Industrial Co., Ltd., another PTW manufacturer in Taiwan, demonstrated a newly developed 400cc motorcycle engine at the show, demonstrating the firm's ambition to break into the big-displacement PTW market.
The single-cylinder engine, according to the firm's official, delivers up to 29 horsepower at 5,500 rotations per minute (rpm) with a maximum torque of 3.2 kgm at 7,000 rpm. Hartford is scheduled to ramp up production of the 400cc engine by the end of 2009. The new engine will power several motorcycle models and ATV under development.
Like many of its industry peers in Taiwan, Hartford realizes that, with China dominating the under-250cc sector, it needs to hone its quality and technological edge and move into more lucrative niche markets. With help from its parent, one of Taiwan's leading CNC machining center manufacturers, the company has developed the high-precision manufacturing capability needed to succeed in its move up-market. The company is also developing specialty products, such as low seat motorcycles for younger riders, scooters with large storage spaces, and models with special styling.
Tong Yah Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. (KOSO), the largest PTW performance-tuning gauge and parts/accessory brand maker in Taiwan, showcased a series of organic light-emit diode (OLED) and LCD tuning gauges for motorcycles and scooters.
The company claims that OLED gauges can display more information per unit of space, compared to other types of gauge. This is important because more and more countries are requiring PTWs to have electronic fuel-injection (EFI) systems to meet strict emission standards. Increasingly complex electronic control systems are also spurring the need for improved gauges.
Tong Yah's gauges are setting the industry pace with technology able to incorporate complicated diagnose and monitor systems in one gauge. In addition, the firm has been aggressively researching the advanced can-bus vehicle communication protocol, which will give it an edge in the tuning gauge market in the EFI era.
Tong Yah also introduced a series of LCD gauges with stainless steel housings and user-configurable settings.
Hsu-I Metal Industry Co. Ltd. is a major vehicle-frame developer and manufacturer in Taiwan with a sizeable share of the local PTW, ATV, buggy, and cart frame markets. The company is also one of the few local suppliers of exhaust systems meeting Taiwan's fifth-stage emission regulations, one of the toughest emission standards in the world.
This year, the company unveiled Taiwan's first aluminum-alloy frame for an e-scooter model. The lightweight frame, according to company president Jeffrey Hsieh, weighs only 3.4kg, compared to about 6.8kg for a chromoly (high-carbon steel) frame or 9.6kg for a steel frame. The company claims that aluminum frame is also strong thanks to a special structural design and welding techniques.
The lightness of the aluminum frame is especially important in the e-scooter market, where producers are constantly looking for ways to trim weight to increase cruising range, horsepower output, and battery life. Hsieh says that his company is also working on another product that could revolutionize the global PTW-frame market in the near future.
Hsieh notes that makers are challenged to create frames that answer the multiple needs of e-scooters, from light weight to safety and cost competitiveness. He claims that his firm has found a new alloy material that can make scooter frames stronger and lighter at a cost somewhere between that of aluminum alloy and chromoly. Hsu-I is scheduled to mass-produce the new frames in mid-2010.
Another local PTW parts maker at the show was Ming Ming Aluminum Co., Ltd. The company has an integrated manufacturing system with robotic casting lines and advanced facilities to produce a variety of high-strength aluminum-alloy parts. Ming Ming is a major supplier of key parts to Ducati, Triumph and other legendary brands.
Archie Huang, marketing manager of Ming Ming, says that his company's core competitiveness lies in its superior casting and processing capability, extensive experience in supplying high-level casting parts to internationals PTW makers, and a small-batch, large-variety production mode that is well suited to the high-end bike business.
The Taiwanese company has been supplying an increasing number of high-precision parts to famous international bike brands. "High precision is a basic requirement in the top-end parts market. But you also need to have the know-how, experience, and equipment to do top-end work," Huang explains. "Ming Ming has been intensively training its technicians and engineers, as well as installing increasingly better and more automated equipment to achieve the best possible quality."
What else can a company do to be the first-tier, high-end parts supplier? Invest heavily in tooling and control core casting technology, Huang suggests.
(July 2009)
Motorcycle Taiwan 2009 | ||
Exhibitors (2008) | Booths (2008) | |
Local Exhibitors | 174 (177) | 438 (444) |
Overseas Exhibitors* | 11 (10) | 14 (37) |
Total | 185 (187) | 452 (481) |
* Germany, Spain, Korea, mainland China, etc. Source: TAITRA | ||
2009 Visitor | 2008 Visitor | |
Overseas Visitors | 1,367 | 892 |
Local Visitors | 14,654 | 12,099 |
Journalist | 171 | 163 |
Total | 16,192 | 13,154 |
Top-10 Overseas Buyers by Country | ||||
Rank | Country | 2009 | 2008 | Growth Rate |
1 | Japan | 483 | 257 | +87.94% |
2 | United States | 119 | 76 | +56.58% |
3 | Malaysia | 76 | 29 | +162.07% |
4 | Thailand | 58 | 20 | +190.00% |
5 | Hong Kong | 50 | 33 | +51.52% |
6 | Indonesia | 50 | 52 | -3.85% |
7 | Korea | 35 | 58 | -39.66% |
8 | Germany | 35 | 17 | +105.88% |
9 | Mainland China | 34 | 40 | -15.00% |
10 | The Philippines | 30 | 19 | +57.89% |
10 | Kenya | 30 | 0 | --- |
Total | 1,000 | 601 | +66.39% | |
Source: TAITRA. | ||||