Volcon named exclusive U.S. distributor of Vietnamese golf cart brand

Volcon ePowersports recently signed an agreement to be the exclusive distributor of Super Sonic Company Limited (Super Sonic), a wholly owned subsidiary of ODES Industry, golf carts sold to original equipment manufacturers in the United States. Super Sonic manufactures its golf carts in Vietnam under its brand, AODES. They manufacture the Volcon MN1 Adventurer and MN1 Tradesman and golf carts for other OEMs.

“We are excited for the opportunity to be the exclusive distributor of Super Sonic golf carts in the US. Super Sonic (AODES) has a strong history of golf cart sales in the US, which is why Volcon selected Super Sonic to manufacture our golf carts,” notes John Kim, Volcon’s CEO. “Their Vietnam manufacturing facility provides a competitive advantage due to lower tariffs for importing units compared to units from other Asian countries.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 114,000 golf carts, valued at $450 million, were imported from China to the U.S. in 2023. The American Personal Transportation Vehicle Manufacturer Coalition recently petitioned against certain low-speed personal transportation vehicles imported from China. The petition asserted that manufacturers who received foreign government subsidies could import vehicles from China at a lower cost than manufacturing in their home countries.

This created unfair trade practices. The Department of Commerce reviewed Chinese manufacturers who sold such vehicles and determined they were unfairly competing due to government subsidies. As a result, countervailing duties and antidumping tariffs were assigned to Chinese manufacturers, which cumulatively range from 149% to 500% (depending on the manufacturer).

Volcon says its relationship with Super Sonic (AODES) in Vietnam translates to golf carts being taxed at 2.5% instead of up to 500% for units from China. The electric powersports manufacturer believes there’s a big opportunity to sell more units to dealers and big box retailers such as Lowes, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, and Bass Pro Shop–all of which source their golf carts from Chinese manufacturers.