Kawasaki Heavy Industries plans to speed up the environmentally friendly policy and make all its motorcycles electric for all major markets by 2035.

There are several challenges to overcome, like the costs of building and extending range, as well as creating a product that will still be appealing to bikers who enjoy having a rumbling gasoline engine between their legs.

While the entire motorcycle market has gone downhill over the recent decade, the pandemic has resulted in rising interest among folks in ways of traveling that lower the risk of infection.

It has created an outstanding opportunity for the motorcycle industry to kickstart and rumble back into the market in style.

Kawasaki Motors has decided to focus on the motorcycle business and grab a big slice of the pie, which is why they spun off from the parent company, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, last Friday.

As Yasuhiko Hashimoto, president of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, explained:

Outdoor leisure activity has been popular during the COVID pandemic. We will strengthen our environmental efforts with our sights set on post-pandemic lifestyles.

To increase management flexibility, peripheral operations, which include motorcycles, will be spun off while the parent company will keep its focus on the energy business.

Hiroshi Ito, president of Kawasaki Motors, says their company is open to partnerships with other companies in the future.

With environmental friendliness as one of the main focuses of Kawasaki Motors, the company will aim to boost sales ad raise its operating profit margin.

While there are no electric Kawasaki motorcycles right now, they plan to produce over ten new models by 2025. Their goal is to entirely switch to electric bikes by 2035 in Japan, the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Europe.  

The company plans to launch all-electric and also hybrid versions. It also wants to focus on developing engines that run on hydrogen.

Despite a low percentage of the global share in the motorcycle market that hits only 1%, Kawasaki motorcycles have a robust and standing presence in North America and Japan. The company will expand its production capacity in Nebraska by March 2023. It will also build a brand new plant in Mexico and start another production there by the beginning of 2023.

Source: Nikkei Asia

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