Scotts Valley, CA-based Zero Motorcycles is celebrating the inauguration of a new assembly line in the Philippines while also confirming it will keep building electric motorcycles here in the U.S. as well.
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U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Heather Variava was on hand to help celebrate the inauguration of the Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc.(IMI)-Zero Motorcycles facility in Laguna, Philippines.
The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines wrote on July 20, “This latest investment signals U.S. commitment to support the Philippines’ development of its electric vehicle ecosystem.”
As EV Rider has previously reported, Ayala Corporation’s IMI will manufacture and assemble EV motorcycles in the Philippines for Zero.
In a Friday (7/28/23) Facebook exchange, when EV Rider asked if Zeros for sale in the U.S. would still be assembled in California, the company responded, “Indeed! IMI production is intended for regional distribution.”
Zero first announced plans to expand its manufacturing capabilities in March, saying IMI will assemble Zero Motorcycles’ EV motorcycle models and other motorcycle sub-assemblies in IMI’s facility located in Laguna.
The original announcement about the new Philippines line combined with a February KNTV NBC Bay Area News report had raised questions about the future of Zero’s California assembly line.
The modular assemblies and complete motorcycles supplied by IMI will be delivered to Zero’s customers and dealers globally with a primary focus on the European and Asian markets.
“Expanding our manufacturing footprint into a new region allows Zero Motorcycles to efficiently scale up to meet the rapidly growing demand for our products and improve customer delivery and satisfaction in the fast-growing EV market,” Zero Motorcycles CEO Sam Paschel said in March.
Zero said the facility in Laguna, Philippines will play what it described as a crucial role in Zero Motorcycles’ expansion into the global market and will support the company’s goal of reducing its carbon footprint and promoting sustainable transportation while increasing its market share.
The inauguration of the Philippines line comes as Zero celebrates reaching a new European sales record in June.
Zero has continued to expand its lineup with the 2022 introduction of the DSR/X EV adventure motorcycle.
Zero has also recently been showing off its SR-X concept, which was put together by Bill Webb and HUGE Design. Zero says the SR-X concept points the way forward for its internal design teams. Webb also inspired Zero’s FXE production motorcycle.
As a privately held company, Zero doesn’t announce quarterly sales numbers but did say earlier this year it has built more than 20,000 EV motorcycles. Zero Motorcycles operates in more than 40 countries.