Chinese Three Bounces are popular all over the world, foreigners are buying them crazily, even Hua Chunying is praised by name?

In China, electric tricycles (commonly known as "San Beng Zi") have long been regarded as low-end transportation tools. However, this means of transportation, which is at the bottom of the domestic social hierarchy, has sparked a buying frenzy overseas, especially in European and American markets.

Since the beginning of this year, sales of San Beng Zi produced by Guowei Company in Wuxi, Jiangsu have tripled in the United States, driving the export growth of the entire electric vehicle industry.

Hua Chunying, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, also praised San Beng Zi on overseas social media platforms, calling it “another product made in China and loved by America.”

01

Why is San Beng Zi so popular overseas?

High cost-performance and practicality

The popularity of electric tricycles in foreign markets is mainly due to their high cost-performance and extreme practicality. American farmers have found that San Beng Zi is a highly cost-effective alternative to pickup trucks.

Take domestic San Beng Zi as an example: its price is only one-fifth that of a pickup truck, yet it can perform the same functions. A pickup truck costs about $40,000-$50,000, while a San Beng Zi only costs $600. Even with shipping and customs fees, it is still far cheaper than a pickup truck.

The American father-in-law’s evaluation of San Beng Zi says it all: “It’s very convenient to go grocery shopping. Driving a car plus traffic jams takes 20 minutes, but with San Beng Zi it only takes 5 minutes.” Moreover, San Beng Zi can be registered as a motorcycle and enjoy the same road rights, further increasing its practicality.

The boost from social media

The popularity of San Beng Zi in North America is inseparable from the promotion of social media. Blogger “Bobo in America” shared the story of how her American father-in-law fell in love with San Beng Zi, and the video received a lot of attention on both Douyin in China and TikTok overseas. On the night he picked up the vehicle, the American father-in-law drove the San Beng Zi for a spin, and the sound of “please note, reversing” echoed throughout the neighborhood, attracting a lot of attention. San Beng Zi became a trendy item and a show-off tool in the community.

At the same time, the popularity of San Beng Zi on overseas social media platforms has also boosted sales. Many foreign users share their San Beng Zi experiences on TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms, sparking more interest and desire to purchase this product. Domestic companies have also taken advantage of this trend, further expanding the influence of San Beng Zi through social media marketing and influencer promotion.

02

Can San Beng Zi exports continue to be popular overseas?

Although San Beng Zi is very popular in overseas markets, there are still many challenges in the export process. Due to high transportation costs, most San Beng Zi are currently exported as parts and then assembled by local dealers. Although this model reduces transportation costs, it also increases the complexity of supply chain management.

In addition, although San Beng Zi is easy to operate, can be registered, and is cheap, making it a “driving quick-start artifact,” different countries have different regulations and policies regarding the registration and use of electric tricycles. Domestic companies need to conduct detailed market research before exporting, understand the policy regulations, road conditions, and user habits of the target market, and ensure that the products meet local requirements.

Despite the challenges, the export prospects for electric tricycles are broad. As global attention to new energy and energy conservation and emission reduction increases, electric tricycles, with their environmentally friendly, practical, and high cost-performance features, will find markets in more countries and regions.

Moreover, due to deindustrialization in Western countries, which has led to industrial hollowing out, even though manufacturing San Beng Zi is much simpler than regular cars, it is still difficult for them to find supporting manufacturers, and even if they do, the cost is exorbitant. A company in New York once planned to use electric vehicles for express delivery, with a shape similar to San Beng Zi, but the vehicle sold for $80,000.

This means that such convenient transportation tools as San Beng Zi can only rely on imports, which is why it can be sold in more than 70 countries worldwide.

Some companies have already started to set up production bases overseas to cope with the challenges encountered in the export process. For example, companies in Wuxi, Jiangsu, Linyi, Shandong, and Luoyang, Henan are actively exploring the establishment of factories in Europe, America, Central Asia, and countries along the Belt and Road to improve production efficiency and reduce costs.

In general, the success of electric tricycles in overseas markets is not only a reflection of China’s manufacturing strength, but also the result of precise market positioning and effective marketing strategies. In the future, as more companies join this industry, electric tricycles are expected to continue to shine in the global market.