PTW makers adopt varied strategies to counter strict emission regulation in Taiwan. 07 October 2003 Taiwan Economic News (c) 2003 China Economic News Service
Powered two wheeler (PTW) makers in Taiwan are adopting different strategies to make their products pass the fourth-stage emission regulation set by the government.
According to the PTW makers, the fourth-stage emission regulation, reportedly the strictest such rules in the world, will be put into forth in January next year. The stricter-than-ever regulation is expected to make all the two-stroke 50cc PTWs currently sold in the domestic market fail to pass relevant rules and face a crisis of production suspension.
Though some makers, including Kwang Yang Motor Co., Ltd. (with the KYMCO brand) and Sanyang Industry Co., Ltd. (SYM) once launched four- stroke 50cc scooter models to test the market, yet their efforts were deterred by the customers' complaints about the relatively low horsepower output of such engines.
Facing the new challenge, Kwang Yang recently announced that it would adopt the most advanced Kwang Yang direct injection (KDI) fuel- injection technology jointly developed with an internationally famous partner, Orbital Engine Corp. of Australia, on some new 50cc and 100cc scooter models scheduled to be launched early next year. Kwang Yang claimed that the new KDI technology, developed after seven years of cooperation with Orbital, can pass both Taiwan's fourth-stage emission regulation in 2004 and Europe's third-stage one scheduled for 2006.
According to Kwang Yang, the KDI technology adopts an eight-bit engine management system (EMS) chipset to compute the best fuel injection time point for utmost fuel-burning effect. Such technology can greatly advance a PTW engine's fuel efficiency and reduce the emission volume.
Kwang Yang admitted, however, that the new technology would incur an additional production cost of NT$6,000 to NT$9,000 (US$178 to US$266 at US$1: NT$33.8) on each new PTW model produced. The Taiwan PTW maker said that it would first apply the new technology onto a 100cc model and then, a 50cc.
Yamaha Motor Taiwan Co. (Yamaha) said that production of all its two- stroke 50cc scooter models would be halted by the end of the year and the Taiwan subsidiary plans to adopt a new engine cooling technology developed by its Japanese parent on future's 50cc four-stroke engines. Yamaha Taiwan claimed that the advanced engine water-cooling technology can effectively elevate a PTW engine's heat-dissipation capability to upgrade horsepower output. The company added that a new four-stroke, water-cooling 50cc scooter model would be unveiled in the domestic market in February next year at the earliest.
Yamaha Taiwan stressed, however, that the retail price of the water- cooling 50cc scooter might surpass NT$40,000 (US$1,198), which is already very close to that of a general 100cc model, so it would carefully determine the best timing for launching the new light scooter model in the market.
Tailing Motor Co. Ltd. (in partnership with Suzuki Motor Co. of Japan), however, said that it plans to introduce Suzuki's popular mini scooter model, the Choi Nori, for local production. The Choi Nori is a new 49cc four-stroke mini scooter model featuring simple technology and cheaper components. Tailing said that the retail price for the Choi Nori in Japan is only NT$20,000 (US$592)-less, which is about 40% cheaper than any of its competitors. Tailing expects to introduce the mini scooter model to the island and attract all the potential buyers of light scooters, electric bicycles and scooters.
Tailing said that the prices of some four-stroke entry-level 100cc scooter models have been compressed to a very low level to attract most of the 50cc buyers.
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