UM-Motorcycles (United Motors) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
. UM was formed in the early 2000s by Octavio Villegas Llano. The company has a distribution network in 25 nations with 1200 outlets. It also entered the European market during the 2016
Intermot
INTERMOT Cologne is a biennial trade show for motorcycle manufacturers. The trade show began in Munich in 1998, though it was founded in Cologne. Since 2006 it has moved to ''Koelnmesse'' in Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) ...
, and its European operations are based out of
Porto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
.
History
UM Motorcycles has its origins in
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
, and has been claiming U.S. roots to project a favourable world image.
United Motors (UM) was founded in
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
in 1951, importing and distributing cars, trucks and heavy equipment from the U.S. and Japan into Latin America, primarily in
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
. Recognizing growing demand for motorcycle products worldwide, UM entered the powersports market in the early '90s by forging agreements with large motorcycle manufacturers in China and
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
to introduce those products to the Latin American market. In 1997, UM ventured in to the U.S. (as "
Jincheng
Jincheng is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Shanxi province, China, bordering Henan province to the south and southeast. It is an industrial city in an area where coal mining is an important industry. The entire city has a population ...
USA") to distribute products from various manufacturers in China under the UM brand name.
In 2005, UM started selling rebadged Hyosung Motorcycles under agreement with S&T Motors. On Feb 1, 2010, UM ceased US operations, and Martin Racing Performance acquired all of UM's remaining assets from banks that held the liens on the company.
After closing the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
distribution operations, UM continued doing business in
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
and in other Latin American markets.
In 2014, UM announced their entry to India through an Indian subsidiary, UM Motorcycles, marketing themselves as an "American Manufacturer" with origins in the U.S.
Joint Ventures
UM Motors entered the Indian market (which accounts for 78 percentage of the global two-wheeler demand) with a 50:50 joint venture with
Lohia Auto. It has invested 100 crores in a plant at
Kashipur, Uttarakhand
Kashipur ( Kumaoni: ''Kāshīpur'' ) is a city of Udham Singh Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and one of its seven subdivisions. Located in the western part of Udham Singh Nagar district, it is Kumaun's third most populous cit ...
capable of producing 5000 units a month, and is headquartered in
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
. The brand retails in India under the UM Lohia brand name and started operations in 2016. The company has rolled out two 280 cc
cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles.
The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...
motorcycles in India – Renegade Commando and Renegade Sport S and currently has 75 dealerships.
The UM Lohia venture will also export motorcycles to
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
, besides other South Asian markets. The current level of localisation is 60 percentage with engines and fuel tanks being imported.
Karan Singh Grover
Karan Singh Grover (born 23 February 1982) is an Indian people, Indian model and actor known for his work in Indian television series such as ''Dill Mill Gayye'' and ''Qubool Hai''. He has also starred in Bollywood films like ''Alone (2015 Hin ...
is the brand ambassador for the UM Lohia venture.
This venture ended because of poor after sales by the company in India as the spare parts were not good and a case were running in India. All service centers across India have been closed.
Technical Collaborations
In 2016,
Runner Automobiles
Runner Automobiles Ltd. (RAL) is a motorcycle and three-wheeler manufacturer in Bangladesh. Runner manufactures 12 different motorcycles ranging in size from 80 to 150 CC, Runner has become the market leader in sub 100 CC motorcycle segment in th ...
of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
signed a collaboration agreement with UM to manufacture UM motorcycles in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
under the name of UM-Runner . The motorcycles will be manufactured at Runner's motorcycle manufacturing facilities at Bhaluka while UM International LLC will provide R&D support in technological & engineering fields as well as global component sourcing.
Bangladeshi
Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay.
Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...
manufactured UM-Runner motorcycles entered the market in the second quadrant of 2018. As per of the agreement
Runner Automobiles
Runner Automobiles Ltd. (RAL) is a motorcycle and three-wheeler manufacturer in Bangladesh. Runner manufactures 12 different motorcycles ranging in size from 80 to 150 CC, Runner has become the market leader in sub 100 CC motorcycle segment in th ...
in future will produce and export bikes for UM for
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
Technology
UM has a range of patented innovative features coupled with its bikes. CASH (Communication Awareness System Helmet) is a technology to connect the helmet to communicate via
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...
with the UM Motorcycle. KAS (Keyless Alarm System) is a system to recognise the UM bike owner's presence within 1.2 metres of the bike, and subsequently start the bike without a key. BSM (Blind Spot Mirror System) is a system where the rear view mirrors have a section on the outer corner with a blind spot mirror, allowing the rider to spot vehicles in the blind spot area.
References
External links
UM Motorcycles International website
{{Commons category, UM motorcycles
Motorcycle manufacturers of the United States
Motor vehicle manufacturers based in Florida
Motorcycles by brand