Yamaha Motors moves services to Europe

Yamaha has reorganised the sales and service of its e-bike systems. Starting next month, Yamaha will service European customers of its e-bike systems directly from Europe.

Yamaha Motor Europe N.V., which operates from its European headquarters in Schiphol-Rijk, Amsterdam, will take over from its parent company in Japan as of 1 July. With this move, Yamaha is responding to increasing demand in Europe and hopes to achieve greater flexibility and proximity to the market here.

The aim is to provide better service and support to European bicycle manufacturers installing Yamaha e-bike drives on a previously Bosch-dominated market. Previously, the headquarters in Japan handled the service for B2B customers – these tasks are now being taken over by the Netherlands.

Besides, sales, marketing, planning and ordering by manufacturers from Yamaha will be faster and more comfortable, and the supply of spare parts will also be organised in Europe in future. The only thing that will change for clients is that their needs will be addressed more quickly.

“We believe that this change will contribute to the further development of the e-bike industry,” said Kazuhiro Murata, Executive General Manager of Yamaha Motor Company’s Smart Power Vehicle Business Unit in Japan.

Eric de Seynes, President and CEO of Yamaha Motor Europe, extrapolated: “There are two reasons for our enthusiasm, the first being related to the quick and spectacular development of the e-bike business in Europe, which represents a very strong relay of growth for Yamaha Motor Europe. The second one is our conviction to accelerate the number of OEM partnerships with key actors of the mobility world in Europe. Yamaha has been the pioneer of this EPAC technology, and we trust in our capacity to expend the reputation of our brand in that field, supporting the future successes of our key partners.” EPAC stands for Electrically Power Assisted Cycles, and Yamaha had indeed been the first company to introduce pedal-assist technology in Japan in 1994.

Even before Coronavirus restrictions added another boost for electric bike sales, statistics for pedelec sales in 2019 showed impressive growth. The European market for electric bikes is dominated by Germany, which last year experienced a growth rate of 39 per cent according to the Zweirad Industry Verband (ZIV). Market research indicates that the upsurge is not only driven by the increasing consumer preference towards electric bikes but also the adoption of e-bike applications in sectors such as logistics and e-bike rental services. Yamaha is now better situated to serve these markets.

Source: press release via email, bike-eu.com (e-bike sales data)