But when it comes to e2W, China is the dominant player and had grabbed over 76 per cent share of total e2W imports in 2025 with brands like Yadea, NIU and Sunra dominating the market.
China Dominates E2W Exports
India may be a major exporter of internal combustion engine (ICE) two-wheelers across markets in Asia, Latin America and Europe, but China is emerging as the winner in the electric race.
As these regions increasingly move towards electric, it is China that stands to gain in the longer term.
The country is grabbing a dominant position in the fledgeling e two-wheeler (e2W) sweepstakes in most markets and India is missing out on a big opportunity in this space, unless it moves in aggressively.
Based on data from Centre for Digitial Economy Policy Research and that of auto associations and industry estimates in various countries, our neighbour Nepal, for instance, wants to have an e2W penetration of 60 per cent by 2030.
Key Points
- China has emerged as the dominant exporter of electric two-wheelers across Asia, Europe and Latin American markets.
- India continues leading internal combustion two-wheeler exports but remains significantly behind China in electric vehicle shipments globally.
- Nepal, Mexico and Austria are rapidly increasing electric two-wheeler adoption through subsidies, tax cuts and policy support.
- Chinese brands including Yadea, NIU and Sunra command overwhelming market shares in emerging electric mobility ecosystems worldwide.
- Indian electric two-wheeler exports remained negligible in FY25 despite growing global demand and ambitious electrification targets abroad.
Nepal Electric Mobility Push
Indian companies account for a 98 per cent share of ICE two-wheelers imports in Nepal.
But when it comes to e2W, China is the dominant player and had grabbed over 76 per cent share of total e2W imports in 2025 with brands like Yadea, NIU and Sunra dominating the market.
That is significant as anything between 20 and 35 per cent of new two-wheeler sales in Nepal was electric.
In Austria, India has an 11 per cent share of the total imports of ICE two-wheelers based on the latest estimates.
But the country has an ambitious target to hit an e2W penetration of 100 per cent by 2040.
And currently, 15-25 per cent of new two-wheeler sales are electric as on 2025.
But China has already flexed its muscles — and accounts for over 40 per cent of e2W imports in that country.
Latin America EV Expansion
In Latin America again, it is the Chinese who are aggressively making inroads.
For instance, India has a 15 per cent share of the total ICE two-wheeler imports in Argentina.
But the country wants to achieve 100 per cent e2W penetration by 2050.
Currently, the share of electric in total two-wheelers there is around 3 per cent.
But in 2025, China already grabbed around 75-85 per cent of the electric two-wheeler imports, which is expected to grow very fast in Argentina.
In Mexico, India has made a substantial dent in the ICE two-wheeler market with a 20 per cent share of its total imports.
But China has taken the electric route -- it commands 78 per cent of total imports of e2W.
India's Weak EV Exports
The contrast in Chinese overall electric two-wheeler exports in comparison to India tells the story.
In 2025, China exported over 9.5 million e2W across the world.
In contrast, Indian exports of e2W in FY25 were a paltry 8,278 vehicles -- with TVS BMW CE 02 the most exported electric two-wheeler.
It accounted for 59.4 per cent of total exports from India.
Global Shift Towards Electric
The push towards electric is discernible in most of these countries.
In Nepal, the government has very low Customs duty on imports at only 10 per cent.
It also offers an excise waiver on electric vehicles, making the shift from ICE attractive.
In a market like Mexico, e2W sales are surging due to growing demand from e-commerce, food delivery and gig economy drivers.
And, many of these companies are planning massive deployments.
While in Austria, adoption is being pushed through direct subsidies.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
