Counterfeit and imitation electric bicycles are flooding the market.
Recently, electric bicycles have become a popular mode of transportation in cities, but according to those in the electric bicycle business, up to 60% of electric bicycles sold on the market are counterfeit.
The majority of electric bicycles imported into Vietnam are imported.
These are all well-known brands from Japan, Taiwan, etc., but in reality, all these products originate from China. Some are manufactured by Yamaha and Honda factories located in China, while others are counterfeit products made by other establishments.
According to an electric bicycle importer, there are currently two types of counterfeit bicycles: those that are identical to the real ones in terms of design and brand, and those that only counterfeit the brand while having a completely original design.
According to the same company, Honda Sundiro in Shanghai, China, currently produces only 3 electric bicycle models, and Yamaha Motor China produces 13 models. In contrast, the Vietnamese market currently offers approximately 13 Honda models and 30 Yamaha models.
60% of electric bicycles sold on the market are counterfeit.
Counterfeit electric bicycles are of very poor quality in three crucial components: the battery, the motor, and the controller. Poor quality batteries will quickly lose power, resulting in shorter riding ranges and insufficient power output.
Poor quality electric motors result in weak performance or malfunctions, and are prone to water damage in heavy rain or deep flooding. The control system uses inaccurate and unreliable electronic components.
In short, poor quality will reduce the lifespan of the vehicle, even with regular maintenance or replacement of parts. While a genuine vehicle might last for 3 years, a counterfeit one will only last about 1-1.5 years.
The import price of counterfeit electric bicycles is only two-thirds that of genuine electric bicycles; however, once they reach Vietnam...
Buying a counterfeit bicycle is incredibly damaging; not only do you pay the same price as a genuine one, but it also has a shorter lifespan, is prone to malfunctions, requires frequent parts replacements, and is unreliable.
Many people believe that buying a bicycle with a clear address, a reputable seller, and a full warranty and maintenance service will give them peace of mind and serve as a guarantee of authenticity. However, some sources indicate that counterfeit bicycles now also offer full warranties and maintenance services, just like genuine ones. Because they buy at low prices and sell at high prices, shops selling counterfeit bicycles are willing to offer warranties to consumers.
They also import spare parts for replacement during the warranty period, but the quality of the parts is poor, so many vehicles sometimes need replacements several times. After the warranty expires, which is about a year, consumers have to pay for replacements themselves. At that point, many shops are willing to overcharge customers by raising the price of spare parts to compensate for the previous replacements.
Recently, the Economic Police Department of Ho Chi Minh City Police inspected a warehouse in District 6 and discovered nearly 70 Chinese-made electric bicycles bearing counterfeit Honda and Yamaha trademarks, along with 230 counterfeit stickers printed with the words Honda and Yamaha.
The owner of the shipment stated that they purchased the vehicles from an import company, each valued at approximately 4.5 - 5 million VND. If these vehicles were successfully sold, the price to consumers could reach 10 million VND per unit.
Walking through the Hanoi market these days, one can see that electric bicycles come in many models, are diverse and abundant, and every store claims that the bikes they sell are genuine, while foreign manufacturers do not issue any warnings to consumers, and most consumers, when asked, cannot distinguish between real and fake.
According to Vietnamnet-M
