Sanyang Motor Co., Ltd. was founded in Taipei in 1954 by Huang Chi-Chun and
Chang Kuo An. The company's headquarters is established in Hsinchu, Taiwan and
sells its two-wheeled products under the brand name SYM. Sanyang's three major
production bases are in Taiwan, China and Vietnam. The company manufactures
and sells scooters, motorcycles and ATVs under the SYM brand, while it also
manufactures automobiles and mini-trucks under the Hyundai brand. Since it began,
the company has produced more than 800 thousand automobiles and 16 million
scooters and motorcycles. The annual sales revenue of the company exceeds 1
Billion US dollars and it produces about 600,000 units of motorcycles and 20,000
automobiles per year. SYM currently employs around 2,300 people in its
Taiwan manufacturing plants. History
In 1954 Sanyang Electrics was formed to manufacture dynamoelectric light sets
for bicycles. It was restructured into Sanyang Industry Co. Ltd. and entered a
technical agreement with Honda in 1961 to begin local assembly of motorcycles,
the first motorcycle manufacturer in Taiwan. In 1969 assembly of small Honda
cars began. As Sanyang's own motorcycles entered direct competition with Honda's
products worldwide, the relationship was terminated in January 2002 and Honda
began building cars themselves as Honda Taiwan Co. Ltd. Sanyang instead signed a
contract with Hyundai and currently assembles much of their lineup for the
domestic Taiwanese market. Sanyang Industry was reanmed as Sanyang
Motor Co. Ltd. in January, 2015. The Company has its main office in the
Hsinchu Industrial Park in Hsinchu County, Taiwan. It has a subsidiary in
Xiamen city, China, named Xiamen Xiashing Motorcycle Co., Ltd., and
another subsidiary in Bien Hoa, Dong Nai, Vietnam, named Vietnam
Manufacturing & Export Processing Co., Ltd..
Global operations Sanyang is a strategic partner of
Hyundai Korea and manufactures Hyundai automobiles and mini-trucks in Taiwan.
Sanyang also has ties with international companies like International Truck,
Bombardier Recreational Products and Mahindra & Mahindra Limited in India.
In July 2005, Sanyang launched a new range of two-wheelers for sale in the
European market. The range includes the GTS scooter, the MIO scooter, and two
ATV models: the Trackrunner leisure ATV, and the 250 cc Quadlander off-roader.
In January 2006, Sanyang signed an agreement with the Kinetic Motor Company
of India for a purchase of 2,065,000 equity shares and technical
collaboration, which will amount to Sanyang holding an 11.1% stake of the
enhanced capital of Kinetic Motor Company Limited. With Sanyang taking a
minority stake, the management control will be retained with the Kinetic Group.
In 2008, the two-wheeler division of The Kinetic Group was taken over by
Mahindra, a leading manufacturer of utility vehicles in India.
In 2002, SYM scooters began appearing in the USA courtesy of a grey market
importer SYM USA from West Palm Beach, Florida. Several hundred units were
imported from the UK that were non-EPA, non-DOT certified and a rogue US
distribution network developed. In 2003 an official importer, SYM
America, organized by the Malaguti USA importer, began operations selling in
the Southeast and Puerto Rico. In 2004 Tomos USA negotiated with Sanyang for
exclusive sales in the USA, but the deal was called off later due to some
disagreement on contact details. Sanyang later cooperated with Carter Brothers
Mfg. Co. Inc for its sales in the USA. Malaguti USA ceased and became Martin
Racing Performance and still carried some parts for the DD 50 and Jet Euro
50. In an agreement reached with Carter Brothers Mfg. Co. Inc. the company
abandoned the SYM scooter distribution project for the USA in exchange for
assistance in developing the after-market go kart product and
stocking the SYM upgrade lines for Carter Brothers Mfg. Co. Inc.
In January 2006, SYM signed a partnership agreement with Carter
Brothers Mfg. Co. Inc. for exclusive distribution rights in the United States
of America. Operating out of a 235,000 sq ft office-production-and-warehouse
facility in the small town of Brundidge, Alabama, 60 miles south of Montgomery,
Carter Brothers claims to be the oldest and largest continually operating
manufacturer of go-karts and off-road buggies in the world. Established in
1936 by the brothers W.W. Carter and Charlie Carter, the company initially
specialized in manufacturing agricultural machinery, lawnmowers and
personal gardening equipment. On July 12, 2010, a fire destroyed
Carter Brother's main warehouse and manufacturing facility, resulting in the
loss of approximately 3,000 unsold SYM scooters. A subsequent investigation by
the Alabama State Fire Marshal's Office determined that the cause of the fire
was arson. In March 2011, an official at Carter
Brothers Mfg. Co. Inc. made it known to the editor of the Team Symba web blog
that the partnership agreement between SYM and Carter Brothers would end as of
April 1, 2011. Also in March 2011, Alliance Powersports, Inc. of Mira Loma,
California, notified existing SYM dealers that it had signed an exclusive
distribution agreement with SYM for the western half of the USA.
In October 2006, SYM opened a second manufacturing facility in Nagoya, Japan.
They are known for their parody advertisements on Japanese subways,
taxis and cars. Their slogan, reading "名古屋にこいや!", literally meaning "Come down
to Nagoya!", is known by many locals. In July 2014, Walter H. C. Chang was
appointed Chairman of Sanyang Motor. He has been taking actions to further
strengthen the company's core businesses, optimize sales channels and
increase customers' satisfaction. Models
= Scooters = The company has offered, or now offers,
the following scooter models: Attila
Cello Citycom 125
Citycom 300i DD 50
Duke Euro MX
Fiddle Fiddle II
GR125 GT125
GT125 EVO GTS 200
GTS GTS EVO 125
GTS 125i GTS EVO 300
HD EVO HD 125
HD 200 Jet
Jet 4 Jet Euro X
Bonus 110 Jet Sport X
Joymax 300i Joyride
Lance Cali 50cc Lance Cali 125cc Lance Cali 150cc Lance Havana Classic 50cc
Lance Havana Classic 125cc Lance Havana Classic 150cc Lance PCH 50cc Lance PCH
125cc Lance PCH 150cc Mask
MaxSym 400i MaxSym 600i
Megalo Mio
Orbit/Classic Simply
Radar-X Red Devil
RS RV250
Super Duke Shark
VS/Excel II JetPower
JetPower EVO Fighter
New Fighter Xpro series
Symphony Symphony SR
Jet 4 Symmetry
Z1 = Motorcycles =
Wolf 125/150 Wolf Classic 125/150
T1 150 T2 250
T3 280 XS125-K
Wolf SB 250NI = Cubs =
Bonus Magic 110RR
RV1 Symba
Atkinson = ATVs =
Track Runner Quad lander
See also List of companies of Taiwan
References References
Ash, Kevin, "Lambretta LN125 review; The legendary Italian company will give
Vespa a run for its money with its retro new scooter, the LN125.", The Daily
Telegraph, retrieved 2011-09-23 External links
SYM Motors SanYang Motor
SYM Motors Bike Models