Overseas exports help rev up motorbike sales

More than 60 percent of China's motorcycle output was shipped overseas, industry data showed, as manufacturers leaned on foreign demand to offset sluggish domestic sales and widespread urban restrictions on two-wheeler use.

Motorcycle production totaled 16.49 million units and sales hit 16.39 million units in the January-August period, rising 13.72 percent and 13.23 percent year-on-year respectively. Motorcycle exports reached 10.29 million units, valued at $7.13 billion, according to the China Motorcycle Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber released a report on motorcycle industry development in 2025 last week, showing that exports remain the sector's primary growth engine.

The report notes that China's motorcycle output exceeded 22 million units in 2025, with exports reaching 13.37 million units, up 21.3 percent from 2024. Export value rose 26.78 percent to $8.85 billion. Customs data showed export value grew faster than volumes, while industry profit growth outpaced revenue growth, indicating a shift toward higher-value products.

Latin America and Africa are the main export markets, while Europe serves as a high-value destination and Southeast Asia acts as a bridgehead for electrification. Compared to major motorcycle-exporting countries like Japan and India, China still has a noticeable gap in brand premium capability, the report notes.

Domestic demand, however, remains under pressure. Domestic sales fell in 2025, with more than 180 Chinese cities maintaining various restrictions or bans on motorcycle use. The 13-year mandatory scrapping rule and consumption tax arrangements have failed to keep pace with rising consumer demand.

Data from the Ministry of Public Security show that China's motorcycle fleet stood at about 100 million units as of the end of 2025, or one for every 14 people.

Zhang Hongbo, secretary-general of the China Motorcycle Chamber of Commerce, said that the role of motorcycles is changing. They are not only tools for commuting and rural production, but cultural carriers for leisure, entertainment and personal expression.

Generation Z (those born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s), women and middle-class consumers are becoming key growth drivers.

Qi Xiaoling, automotive editor at China Industry News, a co-compiler of the report, said motorcycles are irreplaceable in forest firefighting and emergency rescue. Forest firefighting motorcycles can climb slopes of 25 to 30 degrees and patrol more than 10 times more efficiently than on foot, she said.

During the 2022 Beibei forest fire rescue and the 2026 Pengshui landslide rescue, both in Chongqing, motorcycles became essential equipment for the "last mile" when roads were blocked and large vehicles could not pass.

Qi also noted growing integration between the automotive and motorcycle supply chains. International tier 1 suppliers, including Bosch, Continental, Valeo and Brembo, provide braking systems, electronic controls and intelligent solutions for both industries. CFMOTO, one of China's largest motorcycle manufacturers, and Brembo signed a long-term agreement in July, upgrading their procurement relationship to joint research and development.

On the automaker side, Chery took full control of Anhui Shanyi Technology in 2025 to enter motorcycle R&D. Geely controls Zhejiang Qianjiang Motorcycle, which owns Benelli and QJMOTOR brands, and has applied automotive-grade 77 gigahertz millimeter-wave radar to motorcycle products.

The Souo LH2000 touring motorcycle from Great Wall Motor obtained the European Union's Whole Vehicle Type Approval in March, which granted the model entry to European markets.

Over the past 20 years, national lawmakers and political advisers have repeatedly proposed relaxing restrictions on motorcycles. Some provincial capitals, including Xi'an in Shaanxi province, Jinan in Shandong province and Xining in Qinghai province, have lifted bans, setting a positive example.

Under scientific management, motorcycles do not cause the traffic chaos once feared, but instead expand residents' transport options and boost consumption, the report noted.

caoyingying@chinadaily.com.cn