We all like to discuss and/or complain whenever we think that OEMs aren’t taking enough chances. Yet, it takes more than just a brilliant idea to make a new product work. The pricing and timing have to be correct, as well. After all, people have to actually want to buy whatever bike or scooter you’ve just made.  

In some ways, it’s probably both easier and harder to take chances when you’re a big company. Certainly, having more resources at your disposal makes many practical aspects simpler—but at the same time, you may also feel like you have more to lose. More people to answer to. More eyes on you if you fail.  

Still, Honda took a chance, and seemingly created a whole new niche with the X-ADV. An adventure maxi-scooter might seem like an unlikely confluence of segments, but Honda did so well that the response was overwhelmingly positive. At the time of writing, the X-ADV is in a class by itself—but from this new Kymco teaser video, that may not be the case for long.  

At just 23 seconds long, Kymco chose to spend most of its visual real estate in this video showing you some very outdoorsy activities. You’re looking at some rock faces, there’s someone kite surfing, there’s a faraway, overhead drone shot of a scooter tearing down a beautiful bit of winding mountain road. Then, at the end, you briefly catch a glimpse of that rider going down a dirt trail. It’s all too far away to make out any details, so a brief impression is all you get.  

Now, Motociclismo suspects that this could be the final form of the CV2 concept scoot that Kymco first unveiled in 2017. That certainly seems like a good guess—but of course, vehicles often change names from concept to production, and I think Kymco may also have told us part of its name.  

November 2020 Kymco Teaser Text Card

This text flashes up on screen for a short time at the end of the video, reading “Time to excite,” but it’s not just simple text on a black background. Some graphic designer put in a great deal of effort to make that gigantic “X” be the first thing that draws your attention. Although the CV2 concept was based on the flagship AK550 scoot, Kymco also makes a slightly smaller sport tourer called the Xciting S400. Name-wise, this teaser makes it seem as though it could be a more off-road-capable Xciting.  

Both the current AK550 and Xciting S400 are Euro 4 compliant—so clearly Kymco, like other OEMs, will doubtless be showing off its Euro 5 offerings in short order. In any case, it’s unclear what displacement this scoot will have. It’s also not clear whether this would be an additional member of the Xciting lineup, or possibly a complete replacement for the current Xciting S400 model. That, we suppose, is what the November 26, 2020 global presentation and unveiling will tell us. Kymco certainly hopes that we’re (e)Xcited. Are you? 

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