United Motors Exhibit
This one takes the grand prize! This company is totally professional on every level. The display was well planned and the staff was sharp (and they had a couple scooter babes). It was something you would have expected from the big boys. And, that is because they plan on being one of the big boys. I think they are going to get there. They have a plan......and a good one.
First, I would like to thank Diego Villegas, Product Development, for spending time to lay things out for me.
When it comes to parts availability, UM measures up (and I've verified this with dealers). UM claims that 95% of parts orders arrive to the dealer within three days. Dealers have told me that the parts ordering is a very sophisticated online procedure like you would expect from Honda or Yamaha.
Another thing that impressed me was their analysis of the most returned parts and warranty work. They keep statistics and then work to improve the quality of the more faulty components. Diego was quite forthright and told me that the most common problems were electrical and they were upgrading electrical components in response. Diego was also telling me about product testing they do. They have a bike they are testing before introduction with over 25,000 miles of testing. While most of the scooters they sell now LOOK like clones, they aren't. And, none of the future products will look like clones. All future products will be specifically designed as unique UM products.
UM also designs their products with engineers here in the U.S. and uses components from all over the world, including SYM (Kymco) components. Products are assembled in China by some of the better companies in China on production lines exclusive to UM, where UM maintains their own quality control.
Probably the biggest news is that UM has a new partnership with Hyosung to manufacture future products. If you aren't familiar with Hyosung, they are a Korean based manufacturer that builds motorcycles of a quality that rivals the best in the world. They are new to the U.S. but I have gotten feedback from dealers that Hyosung is the best of the best. UM chooses their partners well.
