We have written about Korean manufacturers before, and their expected impact on the motorcycle market here in the United States. What about China?
At the Detroit Auto Show (going on now), Chinese manufacturer Changfeng displayed several autos — seemingly ready to enter the competitive North American market, but likely a few years away. A similar development involves an agreement between Chinese manufacturer Chery (that is not a misprint, I intentionally wrote “Chery” and did not mean “Chevy”) has agreed with Chrysler to manufacture sub-compact cars to be sold under the Chrysler badge within the next couple of years in North America and Europe. At least one source indicates many Chinese auto workers make less than $2.00 per hour, compared with up to $50.00 per hour in Western countries.
China has been called the “sleeping giant” in the past, and China is now awake as a manufacturing powerhouse. Stay tuned for its impact on the motorcycle market here and in Europe. In the meantime, note that Chinese manufacturers have already taken a huge bite out of Japanese market share in the Asian market for motorcycles.
