INTERVIEW: Yamaha to Launch 125 cc Moped Meeting New Regulations

Iwata, Shizuoka Pref., Dec. 18 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Yamaha Motor Co. plans to release a 125 cc moped model meeting new emissions rules in March, its president, Motofumi Shitara, has said. The company hopes to make sure that “people find it easy to buy and ride” the new model, he said in an interview with media organizations including Jiji Press, held at the motorcycle maker’s head office in the city of Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on Wednesday. As it is difficult for existing mopeds with engine displacements of up to 50 cc to pass the new emissions regulations, Japanese motorcycle makers are working to develop models complying with the new rules. People can ride 125 cc mopeds meeting the new regulations with an existing moped license or a standard driver’s license as their output will be curbed. “It is important to make them accessible for young people as their first motorcycles,” Shitara, 63, said. Yamaha is the second firm to announce a plan to launch a moped conforming to the new emissions rules after Honda Motor Co. Yamaha plans to develop its new 125 cc moped based on its JOG 125 scooter, which is produced in Taiwan. “We would like to introduce it in a way to prevent confusion with the existing regulations,” Shitara said. The company’s outboard engine and other operations in North America have been hit hard by the high tariff policy of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. Still, Shitara said, “Arguing against (the U.S. tariff policy) won’t help us move forward, so we are taking measures such as local procurement.” He indicated that the company will pass higher costs on to prices as a short-term measure and review its supply chains as a long-term issue. China, a natural resource supplier, “is expected to continue applying pressure,” Shitara said, adding that Yamaha has set up an office for semiconductor procurement to strengthen measures to deal with geopolitical risks. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]