Showcasing domestic high-end manufacturing capabilities, Zhang Xue Motorcycles have ignited a new spark for "Mo Du" Chongqing.

Products showcased at Zhangxue Motorcycle Chengdu Tianfu Store. Xu J / Photo

Securities Times reporter Xu Jian

Zhangxue Motorcycle writes a legendary chapter on the racetrack, and that momentum is directly transmitted to the end-market. Securities Times reporter visited Zhangxue Motorcycle’s Chengdu Tianfu Store and found that, spurred by the news of winning the championship, demand for the models on sale at the store is strong; within a few days, sales have already doubled compared with the earlier period.

Zhang Xue’s success has a highly individual heroic character, showcasing the completeness and progress of China’s motorcycle industrial system—and once again making “made in Chongqing” motorcycles the focus of the market.

Chongqing is widely hailed as China’s “Motorcycle Capital,” and the motorcycle industry is one of its pillar manufacturing sectors. In 2025, Chongqing produced 7.857 million motorcycles, accounting for 35.5% of the country’s total output, ranking first among Chinese cities. The industry’s total output value for the full year reached 108.83 billion yuan. For every three motorcycles exported nationwide, one is produced in Chongqing.

Behind the data lies the difficult leap of Chongqing’s motorcycle industry—from “low-end price-cutting” to “high-end breakthroughs.” Zhangxue Motorcycle’s historic victory is undoubtedly the best footnote to this leap.

Winning the championship boosts confidence in domestic high-endization

Zhang Xue’s championship win helped “Zhangxue Motorcycle” break out into wider public awareness, and it also brought direct returns to the stores.

On April 2, staff at Zhangxue Motorcycle’s Chengdu Tianfu Store told reporters that they sold 20 units in a single day. “Before winning the championship, many people didn’t believe this car had the capability. Now some people in their forties and fifties have come to buy a car (to show support). I believe this will significantly boost sales of Chongqing—and even Chinese—brands.”

“A while ago, we really didn’t consider a young brand. Zhangxue Motorcycle’s championship win has made my views shift a bit,” said a senior motorcycle touring enthusiast in Chengdu.

A motorcycle industry insider in Chongqing said that Zhangxue Motorcycle’s championship win has, for the first time, led people in the industry to discuss topics such as “respecting original ideas” and “independent R&D” so intensively. This has made companies pay more attention to R&D, patents, and brands—reshaping the value system across the entire Chongqing motorcycle circle.

Some people believe the greater significance of Zhang Xue’s championship lies in: proving the performance and stability of domestically made mid-to-large displacement motorcycles; with Chongqing’s improved industrial chain, it fully has the ability to nurture high-end motorcycle brand(s).

“I mainly consider three factors when buying a car: it should look good, it should have (good) race results, and the engineers should be well-compensated,” said the above-mentioned senior motorcycle touring enthusiast to reporters. “Only the things produced by employees who earn higher incomes can have quality assurance.” According to publicly reported information, the compensation Zhangxue Motorcycle offers to R&D engineers ranks among the top tier in the industry.

Zhangxue Motorcycle’s championship in the top class of WSBK (World Superbike Championship) has added fuel to the overall push toward high-end for Chongqing’s motorcycle industry.

In fact, the mid-to-large displacement (above 250cc) motorcycle market inside China is currently expanding quickly, and the sales of Chongqing motorcycle enterprises such as Loncin General continue to climb.

In mid-February, Trillion Power announced a major asset swap with Loncin General. After the transaction is completed, Loncin General will focus on complete motorcycles and engines, while Trillion Power will fully bet on General Machinery. With these two Chongqing motorcycle industry leaders potentially concentrating their businesses, they are expected to help Chongqing’s motorcycles keep moving forward along the path of high-endization and specialization.

“Motor City” once was “big but not strong”

In the 1970s, Chongqing Jialing Factory launched China’s first independently developed Jialing 50, kicking off the development of Chongqing’s motorcycle industry. After the reform and opening up, Chongqing successively introduced production technologies from Honda and Yamaha, ushering in the first chapter of large-scale motorcycle operations in China.

In the early 1990s, private enterprises such as Trillion Power and Loncin entered the market one after another. “Made in Chongqing” motorcycles quickly took over the domestic market thanks to price advantages, and were also exported far to regions such as Southeast Asia and Africa, thereby establishing Chongqing’s status as a “Motorcycle Capital.” In 2008, Chongqing’s motorcycle industry reached its peak: annual production and sales of complete vehicles both exceeded 11 million units. Engines (including general-purpose machines) reached more than 20 million units, with an output value of about 170 billion yuan.

However, as the global motorcycle industry’s competitive landscape accelerates reconstruction, competition in the domestic market has grown increasingly fierce, and Chongqing’s motorcycle industry began to fall into difficulties.

On the one hand, Chongqing’s motorcycle industry has mostly relied on “small-displacement” low-end models, with serious product homogeneity. Technical content is low and added value is not high. It depends on price wars to seize market share, which continually compresses profit margins. On the other hand, the industry’s development model is mainly imitation and assembly, lacking core technology and independent R&D capability. Key components such as engines and electronic control systems have long depended on external procurement. Brand influence is weak, making it difficult to enter high-end markets such as those in Europe and the U.S.

In addition, the intense “involution” of “Chongqing’s motorcycle community” has been further squeezed by an influx of automobiles and electric vehicles, further shrinking the survival space for Chongqing’s motorcycle industry.

In 2018, Chongqing’s annual motorcycle production fell to less than 4 million units. Domestic market share shrank from about 40% to 5%, and the industry’s advantages were greatly reduced.

Government guidance brings “second growth”

To address the difficulties faced by the motorcycle industry, the Chongqing municipal government launched policy support and technology introductions, achieving a “second growth” for the industry.

In 2019, Chongqing first included the motorcycle industry in “Chongqing’s pillar industries.” That same year, in April, Chongqing proposed promoting motorcycle enterprises to seize domestic and international mid-to-high-end markets with higher profit, and to accelerate the development and launch of mid-to-high-end motorcycle products with displacements of 250cc and above.

After 2020, Chongqing clearly designated the motorcycle industry as an important area to drive iteration and upgrading of pillar industries, accelerating new model development and improving local supporting systems for key components.

In 2024, Chongqing issued the 《Action Plan for High-Quality Development of High-End Motorcycle Industry Clusters in Chongqing (2023—2027)》, proposing that by 2027 the localization support rate of key components will reach 80%, and total output value will exceed 140 billion yuan.

In terms of industrial supporting, Chongqing focuses on shortfalls in key components, carrying out “precision irrigation” and “targeted cultivation of supply and demand.” It cultivates and supports core supporting projects such as electric motors, electronic control systems, and high-end molds, improving the localization support rate of key components.

According to data, currently there are 51 motorcycle complete-vehicle companies above designated size in Chongqing, and more than 410 component companies, forming comprehensive production capacity of over 20 million complete vehicles per year and 20 million engines.

Through a combination of “exhibitions + races + overseas service,” Chongqing helps local motorcycle companies expand domestic and international markets. Among them, the China International Motorcycle Trade Fair, which has been held for more than 20 sessions, has become the most influential brand display and trading platform in the industry. Chongqing’s motorcycle races have also grown “in a surge.” The frequency of events such as the “Trillion Cup” motorcycle off-road endurance challenge and the China Motorcycle Off-Road Championship continues to increase. Measures such as building a digital trade platform for auto and motorcycle parts in Chongqing, and establishing related import and export chambers of commerce, help Chongqing motorcycles “head toward” the global market.

On the enterprise side, “Chongqing’s motorcycle community” has completed “internal” integration. By the end of 2024, Trillion Group completed its acquisition and holding of Loncin General. After the merger of these two giants, the annual motorcycle sales exceed 3 million units, leapfrogging to become the industry leader.

Move into high value-added markets

In recent years, motorcycles have gradually shifted from traditional transportation tools to player-style machines. Mid-to-large displacement motorcycles—which have higher industrial added value and represent industrial mechanical quality—have increasingly become a trend indicator.

According to publicly available data, in 2019 China’s sales of mid-to-large displacement motorcycles were about 170,000 units. By 2024, the production and sales of such products were 773,500 and 756,600 units respectively, up 49.67% and 42.97% year-on-year. In 2025, production and sales reached 953,700 and 952,300 units respectively, up 23.3% and 25.87% year-on-year.

The China Motorcycle Industry Association, in its 2025 motorcycle industry closing report, stated: “The leisure and entertainment mid-to-large displacement motorcycle market maintains a high-growth pattern.”

Guolian Minsheng Securities believes that the mid-to-large displacement motorcycle market is rapidly expanding, motorcycle culture is gradually taking shape, and “referring to the domestic auto development history and the competitive landscape of overseas motorcycle markets, independent brands are expected to become the high-revenue beneficiaries as demand for mid-to-large displacement motorcycles rises.”

In their periodic reports, Trillion Power, Loncin General, CF Moto (Chunfeng) Power, and Qianjiang Motorcycle mentioned that the market for large-displacement leisure and entertainment motorcycles continues to maintain high growth. Qianjiang Motorcycle stated: “Large-displacement vehicles have become the company’s main source of profit.”

The mid-to-large displacement market is gradually becoming the main battlefield for competition among motorcycle companies—and even among city-level industries.

From the data, domestic brands have become the absolute dominant force in the mid-to-large displacement sector. In the first 11 months of 2025, total imported volume across all brands was 55,100 units, while domestic sales of 250cc and above displacement motorcycles reached 883,300 units.

However, there are differences among domestic brands as well. Among the top three in the domestic sales market for mid-to-large displacement motorcycles—Qianjiang Motorcycle, Chunfeng Power, and Loncin General—only Loncin General is from Chongqing.

The above-mentioned Chongqing motorcycle industry insiders said that, currently, Chongqing’s exports are still mainly based on OEM/contract manufacturing (low-price volume). Most of the profits are taken by overseas brands, and OEM factories have relatively weak bargaining power. Product homogeneity is relatively serious, making it easy to get stuck in price “involution.” “Made in Chongqing” is more of a capacity label, but it lacks the label of high-end brand, leaving insufficient room for premium pricing. At the same time, R&D investment by motorcycle manufacturing enterprises is relatively low. But she believes that, as core product strength breaks through, extreme cost-performance is achieved, changes in global demand structure occur, and the industry and brand upgrade resonate together, Chongqing motorcycles’ competitiveness overseas will gradually improve.

Zhang Xue’s extreme love for motorcycles and his “mania” for R&D are a microcosm of Chongqing’s motorcycle industrial spirit, and they also bring confidence that local manufacturing can make upward breakthroughs. Some industry insiders point out that currently, domestic mid-to-large displacement models are transitioning toward “premiumization.” Models with independent R&D capability and relatively high tuning levels will attract an ever-growing audience.

（责任编辑：刘畅 ）

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