KYMCO, Yamaha Awarded in Taiwan
The Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) of Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) recently awarded Kwang Yang Motor Co., Ltd. and Yamaha Motor Taiwan Co.
KYMCO was awarded as the top domestic motorcycle exporter in Taiwan while Yamaha Taiwan received an award as the leading exporter of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) complete-motorcycles to Yamaha Japan.
KYMCO was a winner for a sixth consecutive year. Yamaha Taiwan was a winner for a third consecutive year.
However, while both companies lead the market in Taiwan, they also both suffered export-value declines in 2005.
According to figures compiled by the Taiwan Transportation Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association (TTVMA), the export value for KYMCO, Taiwan’s largest manufacturer of two-wheelers, dropped to NT$9.66 billion ($295.4 million) in 2005 from about NT$10 billion ($305.8 million) in 2004.
Yamaha Taiwan, the major global production base of sub-150cc scooters for Yamaha Japan, exported $4.87 billion ($148.93 million) of Taiwan-made scooters to the Japanese parent company in 2005, down 15 percent from the previous year.
Many of Taiwan’s manufacturers believe the export volumes of Taiwan-made assembled motorcycles will not increase due to increasingly more companies moving their productions to mainland China.
To duck the underselling competition from rivals in China, KYMCO said that it has turned its attention to exporting larger displacement scooters and ATVs. The company already has 500cc scooters and ATVs, and a 700cc scooter may be showcased at major international motorcycle shows later this year.
