Futuristic cruiser concept: Voge CU-X plug-in hybrid at CIMA

The Chinese motorbike trade fair CIMA – the Chinese equivalent of the European EICMA – takes place annually in the run-up to its European counterpart. And whilst in its early days it was mainly copies of Western motorbikes that vied for the public’s favour, CF Moto, QJ Motor and others have long since demonstrated the ideas Chinese engineers have today for the future on two wheels.

At the most recent edition of the show in Chongqing, Voge – a sister brand of BMW’s production partner Loncin – unveiled a concept bike dubbed the CU-X. Admittedly, this is likely to be regarded for the time being as a design exercise for the brand’s designers: no reliable technical data is available, and in any case the concept appears to be a show model not yet ready for the road. However, the CU-X demonstrates how the Chongqing-based brand envisages future propulsion concepts on two wheels, and is thus jumping on the hybridisation bandwagon, just as Kawasaki is already doing in series production with the Z7 Hybrid and as Honda is also banking on with the upcoming V3R and its electric supercharger.

The key difference: in the Chinese manufacturer’s conceptual plans, a plug-in hybrid solution forms the heart of the CU-X, combining the cruiser’s internal combustion engine with an externally rechargeable electric drive. This would make a production version ideal for emission-free city riding, without having to sacrifice range thanks to the large-capacity fuel tank. The biggest drawback: in a potential production version, the concept would come with significant weight disadvantages. This is a design-related issue, but one that would be easiest to live with in a cruiser.

Visually, the concept bike draws on classic cruiser elements with its elongated profile, low seat and large fuel tank. Nevertheless, futuristic styling elements such as the 3D-style headlights, the sculpted exhaust system and the finely crafted chassis underline the Voge designers’ commitment to original solutions.

Solutions that the Voge engineers would also have to find should the CU-X go into production. So far, Voge has not commented on any production plans.