Zero Motorcycles is aiming to tempt a broader range of customers with the new X Line lightweight range, which retails from £3890.
The premium, high-powered electric bike market is worse than moribund at the moment. A quick look at monthly, or even annual, sales figures reveals the problems facing firms like Zero Motorcycles, which made its name with full-sized, full-power, battery-powered machinery. However, the firm claims it’s maintaining its success in other European markets. And Zero is also repositioning itself, aiming towards the more successful lightweight electric sector, while maintaining its high-powered product range.
BDN’s Alan Dowds spoke to Umberto Uccelli, Zero’s European MD, about its plans, and kicked off with a look at how things have been for Zero across the continent. “This is a good year for us, despite what is happening in the world in general and specifically to the motorcycle markets. We are almost 40% ahead of last year’s numbers, and in countries like Germany, the increase is even more significant, at 80%. We are very successful in the DACH region [D – Germany, A – Austria, CH – Switzerland], but when you think of the markets, I think of waves: in some markets, very long waves, they go up and then they go down. We have seen that in one year, France may have led in terms of sales, and then the following year, it was Germany. But the leading markets for us remain the DACH region and France. These are the two central areas with high demand for our products.”
When it comes to the UK, Uccelli points to the general problems in the entire market and the impact they have had, especially regarding the Euro 5+ pre-registration numbers. “Euro 5+ affected us indirectly for sure. Because if a customer says, ‘I really want an electric motorcycle,’ but the dealer offers an old Euro version of an ICE machine that’s heavily discounted, customers think, ‘Okay, not this time; maybe next time I will buy electric.’ Our dealer network was also forced to take in a large number of derogated bikes in late 2024; our dealers are also selling ICE bikes, so it’s all linked.
Umberto Uccelli, Zero’s European MD“The UK used to be very successful for us, but it is still suffering from a lot of things that have happened in the past. We had challenges as a company with product availability. Many dealers are struggling to survive as a business. So that’s a broader challenge.”
The poor government support for electric two-wheelers is also an issue, and not only in the UK. “You can have a problem in any country; they give incentives then take them away. That happened in the UK, two or three years ago. One day they say, it’s cancelled, finished. And everybody was asking why? Support has also changed in the Netherlands this year, in the same way. They announced a grant, and then after three or four months, they said, I think we’ve made a mistake, and they cancelled it.”
Confusing times, but Uccelli points to changes Zero has made, including moving production from the US to the Philippines, which has enabled lower prices, and should also help Zero avoid tariff worries. “Our bikes are not assembled in the US anymore, they’re coming from the Philippines. So we are not at risk, unless we have a war with a Philippine Trump!”
Uccelli also spoke about the price cuts Zero has been implementing, which are being helped by those lower production costs. “We launched the Go Electric campaign, which has been very successful, basically repositioning the price of the bikes, of some models that were perceived as very good, but quite expensive. And this has helped boost sales.”
Another change coming for Zero is a shift to smaller machinery, such as the recently launched X Line bikes. These tap into the same part of the market as brands like Talaria and Sur-Ron have done so successfully. “Now we’ve got the XE and XB, products that have been quite successful in the UK, and it’s another tool for our dealers. We are planning to introduce several more low cost bikes. We have always been the leader of the premium brand in the top, most expensive premium segment. But now we’ll introduce more affordable bikes, less than £9000, for a broader range of customers, but also a different kind of customer.”
Uccelli says that will mean changes to the dealer network. “Our opportunity, but also our challenge, is to have the network ready for this. Because it’s one thing to sell a Zero to the ex-owner of a BMW GS, but it’s another thing to sell an XE or XB; it’s a different positioning. It’s a different way of doing business, adding additional products in the mid-low size category.
“We are introducing two different types of dealer: we’ll have dealers who are able to sell everything, with a full model range. And then with the lower-power products, we’ll have dealers suited to that segment of the market.
“And we will add more products in this category; we have a long-term model range plan. Of course, we will maintain the premium bikes, the most expensive models, that’s our history.”
In the meantime, Zero UK country manager Dale Robinson, says dealers looking to stock the brand, either the new lightweight models or the bigger full-power bikes, should get in touch. “Our current open areas are Newcastle/Teesside, Southampton, Wales, Brighton, Manchester, Nottingham and Cumbria,” added Robinson.
The new lightweight X Line models are now on sale in the UK, with the Zero XB available at a category-leading price of £3890, and the Zero XE at a competitive £5590.
For more information on the X Line range and the rest of the Zero line-up, visit
www.zeromotorcycles.com.