VOL. 51 ISSUE 26 JULY 1, 2014 P79
BY ALAN CATHCART
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALAN CATHCART ARCHIVES
W
e've all known it would take place
sooner or later, but now it's finally
happening: A Chinese manufacturer
has stepped on to the world stage with a grow-
ing range of affordably priced mid-sized mo-
torcycles targeted at export sales, rather than
smaller capacity models aimed at customers
closer to home in the world's largest motorcy-
cle market. And let's not forget that almost 14
million motorcycles were sold in the People's
Republic in 2013, against 10 million in the next
largest, India.
CFMoto Power Co. Ltd. is a subsidiary of the
Chunfeng – meaning "gentle breeze," - Hold-
ing Group (hence CF), an engineering compa-
ny founded in 1989 by 24-year old Lai Guogui
to make components for the growing powered
two-wheeler industry. It only began manufac-
turing complete motorcycles in 2000, when it
obtained the necessary government license to
do so, but since 1996 the company had built
125cc motors for sale to other companies; and
the following year it developed the first com-
plete liquid-cooled motorcycle engine made
in China, again for supply to other brands. In
2007 CFMoto moved into its present purpose
built 490,000 square foot plant in Hangzhou
with a 1520-strong workforce (200 of which
are qualified engineers directly involved with
R&D of new products ) that is steadily ramp-
ing up production not only of bikes and scoot-
ers, but especially ATVs - in which CFMoto is
a market leader.
As a company much smaller than industry
giants like Lifan, Loncin, Zongshen and Qian-
jiang (owners of Benelli), CFMoto is almost
unique among Chinese powered two-wheel-
er manufacturers in exclusively marketing its
own brand – it doesn't build complete bikes
and scooters to sell to other companies for
rebadging.
GAME
CHANGER
OUR EXCLUSIVE LOOK INSIDE
CFMOTO - A CHINESE MANUFACTURER
AND EXPORTER OF MOTORCYCLES
