From "Selling Goods" to "Taking Root"
Export markets have long become a critical growth driver for China's motorcycle industry. According to data from the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Light Industrial Products and Arts-Crafts (CCCMC), China exported 13.365 million complete motorcycles in 2025, with the overseas market reaching two to three times the size of the domestic market. Industry insiders generally agree that motorcycle exports have moved past the first phase of simple "product sales overseas" and entered a new stage of in-depth localised development. Global competition is no longer limited to price wars; it has evolved into an all-round contest covering products, distribution channels, spare parts and after-sales service, intellectual property rights and financial services.
Zongshen Group has accelerated its global footprint by building overseas manufacturing bases in Vietnam, Thailand and Mexico and carrying out in-depth cooperation with BMW. Yongchuan Andes Motorcycle has built stable export routes relying on multimodal transport with an annual shipment volume of 15,000 tonnes. Complete motorcycles are shipped worldwide via river-sea intermodal transport from Yongchuan to Guoyuan Port and rail-sea intermodal transport from Yongchuan to Tuanjiecun Station. Enterprises are no longer satisfied with merely exporting goods. They are simultaneously developing local sales channels, spare parts warehouses and maintenance training programmes, and proactively addressing various compliance challenges such as the EU Battery Passport and malicious trademark squatting.
"It is difficult to succeed by simply replicating domestic products," analysed Xu Huxiong, Global Partner at Roland Berger. The Southeast Asian market favours cost-effective products, the European market imposes strict access certification requirements, and the North American market has strong demand for off-road models. Differentiated market competition tests enterprises' global operational capabilities. The direction of industrial transformation is clear: shifting from product exports to brand exports and ultimately realising ecosystem exports. Chinese motorcycle makers are reshaping the global value chain for two-wheeled vehicles.
Motorcycle culture is also fuelling industrial upgrading. Gymkhana and stunt riding events are regularly held on urban roads and rural mountain routes, with more than 2,000 motorcycle clubs across the country bringing enthusiasts together. Modified racing events, motorcycle cultural and creative products, and the development of motorcycle travel routes form a complete ecosystem of "manufacturing – sports – cultural tourism consumption". Motorcycles are no longer just means of transport; they embody diverse values of sport, socialising and leisure, further unlocking high-end consumption potential.
Alongside opportunities, challenges cannot be overlooked. Issues including low-end homogenisation, cutthroat low-price competition and internal friction caused by unregulated overseas expansion continue to constrain high-quality industrial development. Chinese motorcycle brands lack strong global premium pricing power, and international trade barriers keep rising. During the shift to electrification, gaps remain in battery safety, intelligent supporting systems and standards development.
At the new starting point marking the launch of the 15th Five-Year Plan, the exploration of Chongqing's motorcycle industry epitomises the transformation and upgrading of China's two-wheeled vehicle sector. It builds a solid foundation on a complete industrial chain, hones core technologies through top-tier races, taps into the high-end market via intelligentisation, and embraces global markets through systematic overseas expansion.
Engines keep roaring, and the industry keeps advancing. Today, Chinese two-wheeled vehicles are increasingly seen on racetracks and roads across the globe. China's motorcycle manufacturing sector continues to break down technical barriers, strengthen brand development, steadily pursue high-end positioning and globalisation, and write a new chapter for the transformation and upgrading of Chinese manufacturing in the global marketplace.