Chinese motorcycles head for Europe

Chongqing-based motorcycle manufacturer ZXMOTO has dispatched its first large-scale shipment of bikes to the European market. The shipment set sail from Shanghai on Wednesday, Chongqing Customs said.

Earlier this year, ZXMOTO clinched a historic victory in the Portuguese leg of the 2026 FIM Supersport World Championship, the first win for a Chinese manufacturer in the Supersport class. As of mid-June, the team had secured its sixth win in the 2026 World Superbike Championship [WSBK] season.

This initial shipment to Europe included 200 motorcycles. It is the first time ZXMOTO has exported finished motorcycles to Europe in bulk. The journey began at Chongqing's Guoyuan Port, where the bikes were declared for export. From there, they traveled down the Yangtze River to Shanghai, where they were transferred to sea freight for their final destination in Poland.

To facilitate the landmark shipment, the customs office employed a multimodal transport model, streamlining the declaration process and enhancing the efficiency of customs clearance.

Huang Qin, head of ZXMOTO's foreign trade department, noted the rapid increase in European orders, a shift from the company's traditional focus on the Asian market. In addition to the current shipment, another 330 motorcycles bound for Spain have been dispatched from Guoyuan Port.

ZXMOTO was founded in 2013 by Zhang Xue, who was attracted to Chongqing by its robust motorcycle industry. The city, which is sometimes called "China's Motorcycle Capital", is home to five of the nation's top 10 motorcycle exporters. According to Chongqing Customs, the city's motorcycle exports reached 12.21 billion yuan [$1.80 billion] in the first five months of this year, a 9.8 percent increase year-on-year.