China’s robotic lawnmower industry sets its sights on EU amid bare domestic market
Once a niche market, sales of robot mowers in Europe have more than doubled in the past five years
At least nine Chinese brands launched new robotic lawnmowers at this year’s IFA, Europe’s largest consumer electronics show, as the industry commits to continued expansion in the EU, despite an ongoing anti-dumping investigation by Brussels against their products.
Chinese lawnmower makers turned one hall at IFA in Berlin – which ran from Friday to Tuesday – into a patchwork of artificial gardens, with brands setting up demonstrations on their respective turfs.
“Everyone came in over the past two years,” said Ryan Kong, Segway Navimow’s general manager for Europe. Robotic lawnmowers, a category with almost no market in China, have become a new export frontier for Chinese makers.