Chinese companies shine at CIMA
By Ben Purvis
For years the bike industry has wondered whether China's vast manufacturing muscle will ever rise up like Japan's did half a century ago and become a major part of the international scene. If this year's CIMA show is anything to go by, then that moment is closer than it's ever been.
As well as the other impressive looking Chinese bikes you'll find on these pages, the CIMA event was the platform for dozens of new model launches, often for bikes that might not appear outside the Chinese market, but which indicate their makers are getting far closer to being able to compete head-to-head with the established brands we're used to dealing with.
Notable highlights include the DaVinci DC Classic, a high-end electric bike that joins the DC100 in the low-volume brand's line-up. Just 50 of the DC Classic models are due to be made, by hand, and it's probably the most expensive motorcycle ever to emerge from China with a price of $90,000 (£66,600). Mechanically, it's the same as the $27,000 (£20,000) DC100, which features a 135 hp electric motor, 17.7 kWh Li-ion battery and a range of around 400 km (249 miles) after just 30 minutes of fast charging, but its specs include Öhlins suspension, a carbon fibre chassis, Brembo GP4 brakes and a calfskin saddle, while virtually every metal part is CNC-machined aluminium.
At a more realistic end of the market, QJMotor - Benelli's Chinese sister company - revealed a range of new 550 cc twins, derived from the existing 500 cc models, including a new retro-inspired scrambler based on the chassis of the Benelli Leoncino 500. No doubt the 550 cc engine will eventually make its way to the Benelli models in Europe, including the Leoncino TRK502 and 502 Cruiser.
 |
| QJMotor revealed a range of new 550 cc twins |
QJMotor also used the show as a platform to officially launch the long-expected 300 cc V-twin bobber that it has been developing for some time. Looking every inch like a scaled-down Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster, the water-cooled DOHC V-twin engine is a new development for the company. Once again, the fact that QJMotor's range is largely made up of restyled Benelli models surely suggests that Benelli will also be able to take advantage of the new motor for its own range if required.
Sticking with Benelli-related news, the CIMA event was a platform for the unveiling of the Lynk&Co 601 - a tie-in between Benelli and Chinese car maker Lynk&Co. Both companies are under the overall umbrella of the massive Geely Group, which owns Benelli parent company Qianjiang and a host of car brands including Volvo and Lotus and is Harley-Davidson's partner in China.
Lynk&Co is another of its brands, now hitting the market in Europe, and makes cars on Volvo platforms using an innovative subscription model for customers, and direct marketing rather than conventional sales and dealers. For a fixed monthly fee, its customers get a car, insurance, servicing and tax, plus the ability to recoup money, or even profit, by renting their cars out to non-car-owning Link&Co 'members' on an hourly or daily basis. The Lynk&Co 601 is simply a rebranded Benelli TNT600 four-cylinder roadster, intended to be sold in China alongside the company's cars.
