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Inmotion & Solowheel


OliverH

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Ther're so much roumours on a joint Venture/ take over regarding Inmotion and Solowheel. Is that based on April fool or is there going on the next round of market consolidation and positioning for the next years? I ever called Inmotion an underdog.

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If this is true I think it's a good thing for both companies.  I think Inventist with their high pricing and lack of competitive specifications needs a reboot, and InMotion could benefit from Chen's brilliant design ideas.  Sometimes you just can't fight the prevailing winds no matter how much you try to sue patent infringers.  Lending sound western design principles to a Chinese forward thinking company with a good reputation for quality products hopefully will lead to better consumer products and safety.

Now if Ninebot/Xiaomi could pair up with someone and get their game back on we'd have some more quality choices in the marketplace.

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15 hours ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

if Ninebot/Xiaomi could pair up with someone and get their game back on we'd have some more quality choices in the marketplace.

It seems the Chinese manufacturers are buying American companies.  Did Inmotion buy Solowheel?

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7 minutes ago, steve454 said:

Is that a photoshopped Inmotion V8?

Not much of a question that it resembles very closely a V8, including the InMotion emblem on the pedal. 

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5 minutes ago, Mono said:

Not much of a question that it resembles very closely a V8, including the InMotion emblem on the pedal. 

And the super glossy black paint.  I wonder, how do they get the the mirror finish like that.  You can see everything reflected like a mirror.

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2 hours ago, OliverH said:

What's the deal about?

Maybe InMotion wants to sneak a peek at the notebook of The Inventist. Possibly they are also not opposed to own a few more patents.

 

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If Inmotion wants to acquire Solowheel, it makes a lot of sense.  They'll get a top brand name and be able to avoid court battles over patent rights in the US.

Shane Chen of The Inventist has been fighting a losing battle for years against Chinese copycats (There's a reason why Airwheels look like Solowheels, and most other cheap clone wheels look like Airwheels).

It looks like Chen's personal interest moved from EUCs to other inventions a few years ago. Selling to Inmotion (or another Chinese EUC manufacturer) would at least give him a way to make some money on the wave he popularized.  Apparently he turned down a $5 million offer from Ninebot earlier.

Segway sold to Ninebot similar reasons.  As a US company they couldn't compete producing the technology they invented.  Both cases are perfect examples of the old saying, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em".

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I hope this does not mean that Inmotion starts patent trolling now :angry::furious:

Or technically that might already have happened, and they bought Chen out so they could sell in US without problem.

Lawsuits vs Gotway/Kingsong dealers incoming?

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Cheng deserves credit and compensation. He made it happen. Now he was just not smart enough to set aggressive distribution and manufacturing in low cost countries.  Look at the price of a SoloWheel.  Its ridiculous. It is priced to high, you make the cost of entry very low and investors will crunch the numbers and copy the crap out of your invention. Good luck in court. You wont have the money to fight this.

Cheng should rally a bunch of investors, buy out the top brands and price it so it would be impossible for anyone to compete.

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As all the manufacturers are so small it's easy to take over market with technology in place and the financial backup. No need to buy competitors. They can't follow mainstream. Inmotion looks different to all other manufacturers.

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8 hours ago, Carlos E Rodriguez said:

Cheng should rally a bunch of investors, buy out the top brands and price it so it would be impossible for anyone to compete.

A market where it is impossible for anyone to compete isn't a good market for the consumer. Why would you want this to happen? 

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On 4/15/2017 at 8:23 AM, Dmitry71 said:

new product for USA 

There's a lot of background information here. Inmotion sources say that this is entirely a rebranding exercise (for now), there is nothing new/changed under-the-hood on either the V5F+ or the V8 for now,  new product update are still many months away. Somewhat to my surprise, Solowheel will continue production of their somewhat outdated Xtreme & S300 line of Wheels as well....  

My own interpretation is that Inmotion are following in the path of Ninebot & the Segway acquisition, it's believed that using the Solowheel brand will improve their market visibility & legitimacy especially in the Western markets.   

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19 minutes ago, Jason McNeil said:

There's a lot of background information here. Inmotion sources say that this is entirely a rebranding exercise (for now), there is nothing new/changed under-the-hood on either the V5F+ or the V8 for now

Does this mean that the brand InMotion will disappear in the EUC market? I would have thought they keep both brands side by side. 

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Just now, Mono said:

Does this mean that the brand InMotion will disappear in the EUC market?

Not going to be overnight, but yes, that's the long term strategy. As was said in days of yore: "Le roi est mort, vive le roi!" = RIP Inmotion, Long Live Solowheel!" 

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20 hours ago, Carlos E Rodriguez said:

Now he was just not smart enough to set aggressive distribution and manufacturing in low cost countries.  Look at the price of a SoloWheel.  Its ridiculous. It is priced to high

The clue is in the name - not Cheng but Chen, born in Beijing- I don't think he has any problem arranging manufacturing "in low cost countries" - one at least ;-)) I personally doubt the Solowheel's price has much to do with manufacturing costs. 

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What I mean is that solowheel and inmotion look like they are actually using high tech parts vs GOTWAY is using e-bicycle parts.

LIght weight aluminum, titanium magnesium assemblies with strong N45 or stronger magnets. That is why their machines are much more expensive.

Also that is why their machines look so much lighter than the competition.

Disclosure. I own and ride a MCM4 HS and I do like it, but I can tell is not very refined. Parts don't line up right, it is heavy. But it is my first machine and I was not ready to spend past the $1,000.00 price point. A 12KG, 20 mile range, 25 MPH/40kph, 14x2.5 machine under $800.00 would be a jackpot.

About competition. We want competition. I am just saying Chen could have been the volume leader if they could have offered a more reasonable price.  Once you cross the $1,000 mark, you are catering to the high cash flow population thus lowering your volume. A rich person does not need a city commuting machine. A rich person probably prefers a Segway.

For the middle class city dwellers it is a wonderful product.

A 12KG, 20 mile range, 25 MPH, 14x2.5 machine under $800.00 would be a jackpot.

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i just saw a photo this week from InMotion's offices in Shenzen that had both the InMotion and Solowheel brand names on the wall. I agree Shane Chen deserves to benefit financially, perhaps that is the extent of the relationship, a licensing deal, if you will. It also seems InMotion has built significant brand equity even in a relatively brief period of time. In a niche where overall build quality and QA has proven spotty at best, I'd see value in maintaining a brand with strong reputations in both areas.

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Personally I think the inMotion logo is way better looking that solowheel logo which looks really amatuerish by comparison.  

And that red brake light on the V8 with the inmotion logo... that's really gorgeous.  

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