Gogoro 3, having just upgraded to belt drive, and was once aiming in becoming the national scooter, has been taken down from the official site today after the company’s announcement regarding a large-scale platform upgrade yesterday.
Gogoro 3, announced back in 2019, is the weapon of the company in penetrating into the affordable white label vehicle market. Some say that it looks like a wax apple, while others are convinced that it bears similarities to Slime, a video game character. So what exactly happened to Gogoro 3 that is now nowhere to be seen from the company’s official website?
Gogoro commented that the decision was made to respond to market changes and consumer demand, which explains the continuous adjustments and optimization on the company’s product mix. Gogoro 3 had been stuck at a very awkward place for the past year or so in terms of product positioning.
Before 2020, Gogoro’s product line, from the high-end to entry models, are Gogoro 1, 2, 3, and Viva. Gogoro 3 is not only the most affordable white label electric scooter, but also the main platform of “reference” for PBGN partners, though everything changed after the birth of Viva Mix.
Viva Mix is a highly noticeable model that is integrated with the selling points of the four series of Gogoro, which prompted the company to alter its product lines that are segmented into the luxury Gogoro series and the vibrant Viva series with distinctive differentiation in product positioning.
The problem is that the most affordable Gogoro 3 from the luxury line fall short of the specifications of Gogoro 2 and remains vulnerable to the pricing of Viva, and such predicament had been amplified to the extreme upon the announcement of Viva XL. There are almost no differences between the two models in terms of pricing, performance, and specifications, with the external design being the sole differentiation.
▲ Viva XL on the left, and Gogoro 3 Premium on the right. (Source: captured by TechNews)
Perhaps the deadliest reason is the color. That’s right, color scheme may just be the cause of death for Gogoro 3.
Gogoro attempted to segment its high-end and entry product lines through a direct representation of color schemes, which is why the entire Gogoro series was changed to mono colors in order to create a more mature feel, while the Viva series is swapped to mix of colors that retains a young and vibrant impression.
One of the initial selling points of Gogoro 3 was the design using mix of colors, and the design feature can still be seen even after the low-end version is cancelled and merely the monochromatic Premium model is retained. Despite doubts and concerns on Gogoro’s design and manufacturing capability, the company is well known for its nitpicking, and it is obvious that the company can no longer tolerate such awkward positioning.
It is also worth mentioning that Gogoro has adopted modular designs for its production lines, which makes it possible to adjust capacity according to orders. It is probably nothing to traditional automotive manufacturers when retaining two products that only differentiate in external design, but a similar implementation at Gogoro could mean the polar opposite due to its capacity.
In spite of conservative official statement, Gogoro 3 was removed due to a significant reduction in sales after the release of Viva Mix and Viva XL. Gogoro has not confirmed if there would be a retro version in the future, though it should not be a problem judging by the company’s modular production technology. The question is, does the market still want this model?
Those who are fans of this model should hold onto it as it may be discontinued afterwards.
(Cover photo source: provided by Gogoro)