Taiwanese automaker KYMCO to introduce products in India by 2021

Taiwanese brand aims to sell premium products with a mix of EVs and maxi-scooters

KYMCO or Kwang Yang Motor Co is the biggest two-wheeler brand in Taiwan, a pro-scooter market, so much so that you hardly see any motorcycles or step-throughs on the streets of Taipei. KYMCO is also a well-known name in Southeast Asia, but it is not as big as the Japanese giants in these markets. However, it does quite well in Europe, where it is the fourth largest scooter brand overall and is particularly strong in markets like Spain, Italy and France. 

 KYMCO is keen to find a local partner and this is the company's top priority, despite the fact that Ko is aware that most JVs have had a poor record in our country. However, it seems quite committed to the three-year timeline and says that it will come into India on its own if an appropriate partner cannot be found. While the company says no fixed strategy has been decided yet, it is clear on the fact that it wants to go premium and will offer a mix of EVs and maxi-scooters. This is well in line with the company’s plan to have ten new electric products under its IONEX umbrella in the next three years and its target to sell half a million EVs in the same time period.

A glance at KYMCO’s current line-up reveals a number of premium 125cc offerings and even a full-size maxi-scooter with a fuel injected 125cc heart called the X-town 125i. Of course, they might offer larger-capacity machines as well, to truly differentiate from the crowd. Here too, there a numerous options like the single-cylinder 300cc and 400cc Xcting models and even the new, twin-cylinder AK550. More will certainly debut over the next couple of years. The same applies to the EVs. There will be a number of new ones on sale by 2021, so it's early to speculate here.

KYMCO is no stranger to the fact that India is a notoriously hard market to break into. This is probably why they’ve taken the wise decision to avoid being sucked into the allure of the enormous sales numbers India generates Bigger companies have attempted this and failed – some repeatedly. So, while it recognises the value of having a dedicated product designed and developed for our market, KYMCO admits that this will take a bit too long. Hence, the first products to go on sale will come from the existing product portfolio. But, for now, it's too early to tell whether these first products will come as a CBU (something they’re trying to avoid), or whether they will be locally assembled, or if full local manufacturing is possible right from the start. What KYMCO is saying now is that they’re certainly interested in eventually using India as an international manufacturing base.

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The company stresses on the fact that it will take this one step at a time. Dedicated products for India are certainly on the wishlist and that is why KYMCO is so keen to find a local partner, so as to better understand the requirements of our market. But as of now, the main focus appears to be on deciding what its strategy for India will be and we’ll only hear more as 2021 draws closer.

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