Why are Chinese-made "Sanbengzi" and "Laotoule" sweeping overseas? Cheap, good quality and practical
Recently, Chinese electric tricycles, commonly known as "Sanbengzi", became popular at the Milan Two-wheeled Auto Show in Italy, attracting widespread attention in China. Many visitors from China released live videos. In the video, in the "Sanbengzi" exhibition area, many foreigners sat on the car to experience it, took photos with the car, and smiled. Upstream News noticed that since the beginning of the year, the news that Chinese-made electric tricycles are popular overseas has been spread on social media, and the young man's business of selling electric tricycles in the United States has also been widely reported by the media.
We have learned why "Lao Toule" and "San Bengzi" are so popular overseas and what their future prospects are.
Sales soared
Interesting videos sparked demand
Jiangsu Guowei Motorcycle Co., Ltd. is one of the manufacturers participating in the Milan Two-wheeled Auto Show in Italy. Qin Xiaoming, deputy general manager of the company's electric three-wheeled business unit, said that in recent days, orders for electric tricycles have increased by 20% to 30%, but there is no specific relationship with the auto show. He said that after the tricycles became popular in the United States, there were more customers coming to buy them.
According to Upstream News, not only at the Milan Auto Show, but also at the 135th Canton Fair held earlier, "San Bengzi" and "Lao Toule" were also very popular.
According to Guangzhou Daily's previous report, in the new energy vehicle and smart travel exhibition hall, in addition to traditional electric vehicles, low-speed electric vehicles ("Lao Toule"), electric tricycles ("San Bengzi"), electric vans and other models are also very popular. In front of the booth, merchants excitedly experienced these new energy vehicles and took photos to record them. "We brought more than a thousand sample books to the merchants, and now almost all of them have been given away." An exhibitor said.
Robbert, a British buyer, said: "Since the use of fuel vehicles is affected by policies, now is the time to develop new energy vehicles." He said that the streets in European cities are relatively narrow, and there is a greater demand for small vehicles such as low-speed electric vehicles. Based on customer needs, he came to the Canton Fair specifically to look for new energy vehicles.We have learned why "Lao Toule" and "San Bengzi" are so popular overseas and what their future prospects are.
Sales soared
Interesting videos sparked demand
Jiangsu Guowei Motorcycle Co., Ltd. is one of the manufacturers participating in the Milan Two-wheeled Auto Show in Italy. Qin Xiaoming, deputy general manager of the company's electric three-wheeled business unit, said that in recent days, orders for electric tricycles have increased by 20% to 30%, but there is no specific relationship with the auto show. He said that after the tricycles became popular in the United States, there were more customers coming to buy them.
According to Upstream News, not only at the Milan Auto Show, but also at the 135th Canton Fair held earlier, "San Bengzi" and "Lao Toule" were also very popular.
According to Guangzhou Daily's previous report, in the new energy vehicle and smart travel exhibition hall, in addition to traditional electric vehicles, low-speed electric vehicles ("Lao Toule"), electric tricycles ("San Bengzi"), electric vans and other models are also very popular. In front of the booth, merchants excitedly experienced these new energy vehicles and took photos to record them. "We brought more than a thousand sample books to the merchants, and now almost all of them have been given away." An exhibitor said.
Robbert, a British buyer, said: "Since the use of fuel vehicles is affected by policies, now is the time to develop new energy vehicles." He said that the streets in European cities are relatively narrow, and there is a greater demand for small vehicles such as low-speed electric vehicles. Based on customer needs, he came to the Canton Fair specifically to look for new energy vehicles.
The popularity of low-speed electric vehicles overseas is also related to the video work of a Chinese blogger in the United States. In the video, in order to welcome the arrival of Christmas, the blogger asked a domestic friend to buy an electric tricycle as a gift, and sent it across the ocean to her American father-in-law, and then a series of interesting things happened around the "three-wheeler". This electric tricycle that has exploded on the Internet comes from an electric tricycle manufacturer in Wuxi. According to the manufacturer, in January 2024, the orders exported to the United States have doubled year-on-year.
After the above video attracted attention, CCTV also conducted an investigation.
According to the general manager of a motorcycle company in Wuxi, since New Year's Day this year, the number of orders placed by local American consumers from various e-commerce platforms has continued to soar. "We clearly feel that there are more orders from the United States than before, and they are all through e-commerce platforms, and they are privately customized one by one."
The person in charge of the company introduced that in addition to the newly popular American tricycle customization market, 20% to 40% of the total two-wheeled and three-wheeled electric vehicles they produce each year will go abroad and spread across 70 countries and regions.
According to Zhiyan Consulting data, the global production of electric tricycles in 2022 will be about 24.453 million units, and the sales volume will be 22.872 million units. It is expected that in the future, as the global demand for energy-saving and green vehicles continues to grow, the global consumption of electric tricycles will continue to grow.
Why is it so popular?
Cheap, practical and can be driven on the road
According to the 2035 fuel vehicle ban issued by the European Union, after 2035, EU countries can only sell pure electric new energy vehicles and new vehicles with e-fuels synthetic fuels. In addition to traditional electric vehicles, convenient operation, economical and practical, green and environmentally friendly... These characteristics also make low-speed electric vehicles very popular and become the "favorite" of foreign buyers.
Street interviews initiated by overseas Chinese showed that everyone was very interested in this means of transportation. "It's not that electric cars are unaffordable, but that three-wheeled vehicles are more cost-effective."
First, as a multi-purpose vehicle, the "three-wheeled vehicle" can carry both people and goods. It is not only strong, but also compact. It only needs to turn the handle and turn on the ignition switch. It can easily operate in the narrow streets of European cities or on large farms in the United States. Moreover, many European and American families have their own power generation equipment, and the cost of using it is much lower than that of cars.
Second, compared with pickup trucks, which are the most familiar means of transportation for Americans, the price of "three-wheeled vehicles" is quite cheap. According to the above video blogger, the price of "three-wheeled vehicles" is only US$600 (RMB 4,320), while the price of an ordinary pickup truck is about RMB 100,000. The overall price of electric three-wheeled vehicles, including export freight and customs clearance fees, is less than RMB 10,000, which is more than ten times the price difference.
Thirdly, Europe and the United States have clear standards and specifications for low-speed electric vehicles. Among them, Europe has included four-wheeled electric vehicles with a speed of less than 25 kilometers per hour into the management of non-motor vehicles. At the same time, electric three-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles that meet the EEC standards in Europe can be legally sold and put on the road.
In addition, the channel advantage is obvious. Many companies have changed the traditional export model of consignment sales through dealers and switched to direct sales through cross-border e-commerce, which not only simplifies the procedures but also greatly reduces the channel costs.
What is the prospect?
The vast market implies risks
According to data released by market research organization Baijian Fanglue, the scale of the global electric tricycle market is showing a steady expansion trend. In 2023, the global electric tricycle market sales reached 61.86 billion yuan, and it is expected to reach 149.89 billion yuan in 2030. Asia-Pacific is the world's largest market, accounting for 90.06% of the market share, followed by the European market, accounting for only 5.14%. With the continuous improvement of global environmental awareness, low-speed electric vehicles may have greater room for imagination in the international market.
In addition, data show that the overseas market for four-wheeled low-speed electric vehicles is vast. In 2022 and 2023, the global four-wheel vehicle market will maintain a market size of 70 billion to 80 billion yuan for two consecutive years; from 2023 to 2029, the global market will maintain an annual compound growth rate of 8.4%, and will reach a market size of nearly 130 billion yuan around 2029, which is about 25 times the domestic market size in 2023. After that, the global market will still maintain an annual growth rate of 5% to 9%. At present, a global market pattern has been formed, led by the three major regional markets of North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe, among which the European market has the strongest growth.
However, the "three-wheeled vehicle" and "Laotoule" have not all been met with kindness overseas.
According to Xinhua Daily Finance, according to figures released by the U.S. Department of Commerce, in 2023, the United States will import related products from China worth $440 million. This threatens the interests of related automakers in the United States. The "American Personal Transportation Manufacturers Alliance" said that the U.S. industry is "under threat of significant damage." The U.S. Department of Commerce is currently conducting a "double-reverse investigation."
A leading domestic low-speed electric four-wheeled vehicle company said that the industry is closely watching, and some small and medium-sized enterprises have slowed down their pace of "going overseas."
In addition, some people question the future of "three-wheeled vehicles", believing that this is just a temporary curiosity of foreign friends, and whether three-wheeled vehicles are worth investing in the market on a large scale remains to be studied.