Kymco’s global registrations fell to 310,867 units in 2025, marking the fourth consecutive annual decline, as competitive pressure intensifies. Although growth was recorded in Latam and North America, sharp declines in core markets and a limited international EV strategy are weakening Kymco’s global competitive position.
McD tracks new vehicles registrations across the World (97+ countries), reporting data on calendar year. When you wish to compare data reported by us to those declared by the manufacturers, consider they usually report their “sales” (vehicles invoiced), which are usually different from “registrations”, accordingly with their fiscal year split.
Global Registrations Trend
Kymco, the Taiwanese manufacturer, is one of the world’s largest scooter specialists. However, in recent years the company has shown clear signs of difficulty, with global sales declining under growing competitive pressure.
The main challenge comes from its domestic rival SYM, which has been steadily gaining ground both in Taiwan and in key export markets such as Europe. At the same time, a new wave of Chinese manufacturers is aggressively expanding across emerging markets and, more recently, into Europe as well.
It is therefore not surprising that Kymco’s all-time record was reached in 2017, while since 2021 global sales have declined every year.
In 2025, the company reported another disappointing performance, with global registrations falling to 310,867 units, a double-digit decline from the previous year and the fourth consecutive annual drop.
Some positive signals emerged in newly targeted markets. Sales increased 17.9% in Latin America and surged 72.7% in North America, largely driven by Mexico. However, these gains were not enough to offset sharp declines in the company’s core regions.
In Taiwan, sales dropped 11.7%, further weakening Kymco’s position in the leadership battle against an increasingly dominant SYM.
In Europe, registrations fell even more dramatically, declining 19.1%, with particularly heavy losses in several key markets:
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Italy -24.0%
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France -43.4%
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Greece -57.1%
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Netherlands -24.9%
Another structural weakness is the company’s limited international push in electric mobility. While Kymco offers a wide range of electric scooters in the domestic Taiwanese market, exports of EV models remain very limited, leaving the company exposed in a segment that is rapidly gaining importance in several regions.
Brand Heritage
KYMCO (Kwang Yang Motor Company) is headquartered in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, employs around 3,000 people, and has an annual production capacity exceeding 600,000 vehicles.
The company operates several international production facilities located in:
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Indonesia (Jakarta)
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Malaysia (Petaling Jaya)
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China (Shanghai, Chengdu, and Changsha)
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Philippines (Bagumbayan, Taguig City)
Founded in 1964, KYMCO initially grew through a technology partnership with Honda, which used the Taiwanese company as one of its overseas manufacturing bases. Over time, Honda became a significant shareholder.
This close relationship ended around 2000, when KYMCO began operating independently and developing its own global strategy.
In 2014, the company celebrated its 50th anniversary, marking the milestone of 10 million vehicles sold worldwide—including scooters, motorcycles, e-bikes, side-by-sides, and ATVs—across 100 countries, with annual revenues exceeding US$1 billion.