Thanks for your efforts Zaac. I managed to sneak a peek at the report before it was taken down.
Wouldn't it be nice if the Hotcopper admin people put as much effort into cleaning up the numerous smurf accounts that get used on the platform as they do with copyright issues.
I wasn't intending to post here for a while, however, I noticed a neat French article earlier this week which I thought offered an intriguing perspective as to how Super Soco is positioned in the e-scooter market in that corner of the world, and I felt obliged to acknowledge it here.
The title of the article in question translates to 'Which 50cc equivalent electric scooter to choose in 2020?'. As is indicated by the heading, the article ranks a series of currently available light electric scooters, remarking on the pros and cons of each.
The article was published on the website Numerama, in a specialist column called 'Vroom' that is dedicated to the transport of tomorrow. It is worth pointing out that Numerama is a mainstream news site in France.
The extract below is from the introductory paragraphs:
...50cc equivalent electric scooters are very numerous, but differ greatly in performance. Price, range, power: to guide your choice of the model that suits you best, we have produced a comprehensive guide.
Electric scooters with a cap of 45 km / h are becoming more frequent in traffic and on French roads. Until five years ago, only a few models shared this brand new market. In 2020, the competition is fierce. To stand out, each manufacturer and dealer highlights a feature: typically, this is either the look, the range, the engine power or the price.
Few of the two-wheelers manage to get the highest score in all of these tables. It is up to you to determine your needs in order to understand the characteristics that are most important to you, and those on which you are ready or willing to compromise...
The list then follows, with a Super Soco topping the line-up:
THE BEST VALUE FOR MONEY
Super Soco Cu-x: the essential
The Super Soco Cu-x has been our favourite for over a year. The Chinese brand has also conquered us with its TC Max 125 equivalent motorcycle. Small and very maneuverable, light but sturdy, it has many qualities that make it the best electric urban scooter currently on the market, among those that we have tested. In addition, its look differs slightly from that of the "big round headlights" that we see everywhere, which makes it more novel.
The 60-70 km range is good for a scooter that only has a single removable battery, although its dual-battery rivals throng to the gate - the 8-hour charge is a bit long as well. The acceleration is enough to avoid feeling unsafe at traffic lights, and its battery sits comfortably thanks to its more horizontal weight distribution. The ability to unleash it at 70 km / h while taking it on tour is also a plus. It can be found from 2,790 euros...
For convenience, I'll include only the header summaries for each of the remaining models that make it to the shortlist:
SMALL AND AGILE
NIU M + (MQI +): the solid second
THE KING OF AUTONOMY
LVE S5: is autonomy worth the cost?
THE PLEASURE OF SLOW DRIVING
Niu UQI GT Pro: a gentle being in a brutish body
THE ALMOST- VESPA
2Twenty Roma: bulky but ok
Looking over each of the header summaries, it would be reasonable to conclude that this particular publication have judged that the Niu M + to be the only serious competitor to the CU-X. That said, their assessment of the other Niu model '...a gentle being in a brutish body..', doesn't strike you as all that flattering.
At time of writing, the Niu Technologies market cap is 1.6 billion US, which converts to around 2.3 billion Australian dollars at the current rate.
The Vmoto market cap, on the other hand, is only $130 million AUD at current, and our bikes are better, at least if Numerama is to be believed.
Last year, Niu sold 106,000 units, according to their last annual report, and considering the above, it isn't too hard to imagine that Super Soco sales might be set to hit that mark in the not-too-distant future.
(20min delay)