Honda Is Also Entering E-Mountain Bikes
Honda, the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, announces that it will also produce and sell e-mountain bikes. A first prototype is now being shown at an event in Spain (photo). Honda is making a striking choice here, as e-mountain bikes have specifically caused sales struggles and huge financial problems for other motorcycle brands in recent years.
Sales Struggles
In recent years, most motorcycle brands introduced electric mountain bikes, which were thought to better align with the experience of motorcycling than cycling. However, commercially, this proved to be a completely different story, as the market turned out to be very small and the sales channels through bicycle shops were entirely new to the motorcycle brands. The after-Covid sales dip then hit the bicycle market hard. The result was that sales lagged significantly behind expectations and production.
Yamaha
Yamaha not only wanted to stay in drive units for e-MTBs but also tried to sell electric mountain bikes under its own brand name. However, sales of the electric bikes under their own brand name never really took off. Yamaha therefore stopped selling its own e-bikes again in 2024. It still sells individual drive units to bicycle brands.
KTM
KTM followed roughly the same route but was not allowed to sell bicycles under the KTM brand name. Consequently, several other bicycle brands were acquired, while simultaneously making a big push into e-bikes under the Husqvarna and GasGas brand names, for which the name restrictions did not exist. After the corona peak, however, a collapsing bicycle market almost brought down the entire KTM group. Following the reorganization, all bicycle activities were divested.
Details of Honda’s Announced e-MTB Model
“e-MTB Prototype: The e-MTB prototype is a high-performance mountain bike with electric assist, developed under the concept ‘New Terrain, Same Dream.’ The bike combines the joy of motorcycling with the joy of mountain biking, offering a new riding experience.”
Rotwild
It appears that Honda is collaborating with the German e-mountain bike brand Rotwild and its ADP Concept & Design Center for the development of the e-MTB.