Perhaps the NIU electric mobility brand is not known to everyone. The reality is that it is more present than you imagine. Of Chinese origin, and with a presence in Europe and the United States, the firm that until now has worked with electric motorcycles launches the most popular mobility model on the market: their own electric scooters.
NIU has been in Spain for some time with its model of electric motorcycles. For sale to the public at its own points of sale and in concerted dealerships, the Beijing firm is a partner of one of the largest shared mobility agents of the moment: Cabify. It is the provider of Movo’s shared motorcycles since the company began with its diversification to models beyond VTC licenses for cars with driver. Now they want to fly alone with their personal electric scooters. Without any intention of launching a shared mobility service.
“Spain is a very interesting market for NIU”, they explain from the company. According to data from the electric mobility sector, Spain is the second country in the world in which there are more electric scooters. For NIU it was the perfect place. Of course, the Chinese brand will have to compete with two big players that have been established in the region for some time. On the one hand, the local Cecotec focused on the low price segment. On the other, the fireproof Xiaomi. The Chinese rival that has the highest market penetration for several years. With these two rivals facing each other, they want to match the metrics they already hold in the electric motorcycle business. NIU has a 25% market share in Europe under the electricity segment. And although matching this bet will be difficult, it is the objective of the Chinese brand.
Why is NIU now getting into the sector of electric scooters? From the company they point out that it is an interesting moment for these vehicles. On the one hand, they have ceased to be a toy to become another mobility option within the electric catalogue. The myriad of shared electric scooter companies have helped, to a certain extent, to the growth of this mobility. On the other hand, the pandemic has launched these options as a viable model for driving around cities. Finally, and linked to his change in status, the average ticket for scooters has risen. In the case of NIU, around 500 euros on average, coming from a sector that is around 130 euros in its first steps.
Chinese electric scooters of Spanish manufacture
NIU is Chinese, but it has expanded its borders on several essential points. For one, it is listed on the Nasdaq. Since 2017 they decided to leave China and operate in various international markets. Today they operate in 50 countries where they sell through both the online and physical channels. NIU understood long ago that internationalization was necessary.
On the other hand, its production points are local. In the case of Spain and Portugal, that role falls to MCR. A company focused on the manufacture of vehicles of this type. for now, MCR will be in charge of manufacturing the electric scooter models that are marketed in both regions. They do not rule out, in any case, expanding their portfolio to electric motorcycles of the Chinese brand.
The location of the manufacturer in local territory helps to ensure that, in a certain way, the distribution of the models is guaranteed. For sale through its website and large shopping centers, this model ensures the delivery of vehicles and non-dependence on China at the time of distribution.