Kawasaki look to the future
In a corporate document Kawasaki HQ have stated that, as part of their plan to transitions towards being a carbon neutral business, they intend that their entire range of motorcycles, in developed markets, to be at least partly electric by 2035.
Kawasaki have stated that their range in developed markets will solely be made up of BEV (Battery powered Electric Vehicles) and HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicles) by 2035.
That suggests there will be still be models in the line-up that continue to be powered by internal combustion engines, but in conjunction with a battery pack charged by that engine when required and the vehicle driven by an electric motor, as the hybrid name suggests.
The document revealed that Kawasaki plan to have at least ten BEV/HEV motorcycle models in the market by 2025. They also intend to have five electric off-road four-wheel vehicles in the market by 2025.
The hybrids may not be solely powered by petrol as we know it as Kawasaki also made mention in the document of their plans to use hydrogen as a fuel. The image accompanying that point illustrated a supercharged H2 engine, which also suggests that supercharging might be staying, despite a move to hydrogen fuel.
The corporate document also restated Kawasaki’s commitment to their investment in Bimota, and that they would also accelerate the growth of their four-wheel business via further collaboration with Kymco in Taiwan.
Kawasaki also stated that they would invest 30 billion Yen (360 million AUD) over the next five years in new production facilities in the USA and Mexico. Kawasaki state figures that predict an explosion in demand for off-road four wheelers in some markets, particularly North America, where they expect the market will almost triple in size over the next decade.
The PWC (jet-ski) market is also one where Kawasaki see great promise for growth. And growth is something that Kawasaki looks confident of achieving. This growth forecast chart for the entire Kawasaki Motors group predicts revenue to more than double by 2030.
Kawasaki’s targets for electrification are much more ambitious than other Japanese motorcycle brands. Both Honda and Yamaha have stated that 2050 is their target for the move to all, or almost all, EV. As far as we can ascertain Suzuki have not publicised any targets in this space.
