Suspicious Case of VMoto's CPX: How Branding, Marketing, and Shipping Impact Vehicle Price

Folks, I recently stumbled across Indonesia's Charged, an e-mobility company that is on the lookout to take over that country's urban mobility industry. But, as I was exploring this crew and the work they do, I realized something, I had seen their CPX (AKA Rimau) somewhere. Come to find out, another crew on the market has a similar beast, Super Soco.

You may be aware of the Super Soco CPX, considering it's even been seen around MotoGP tracks. If you're not, take time to have a look at the Super Soco branded EV in the image gallery. After you do, compare it to Charged's Rimau, the other two-wheeler with less flashiness from the image gallery. So, what do you see?

I'll tell you what I saw. The same damned machine and the only difference is a bit of bodywork, attention to branding, and a bit more power. What's more mindboggling is the fact that the price difference between the two machines is of $2,000 or more. Why? That's what we're here to explore.

The first and foremost aspect of the Charged and Soco CPX is the fact that VMoto is the crew powering both the Soco and Charged CPX. Considering that VMoto is one of the world's one-stop-shop for e-mobility solutions, it really makes sense for a number of teams to call upon their design and manufacturing abilities. All this leads us to marketing.

I want you to think back to when you first heard of Super Soco. Got it? Good. Now, think about the first time you heard of Charged; it's probably in this article. Heck, I'd never heard of them until today. But then again, Charged only recently hit the market and is doing so as a start-up. Super Soco, on the other hand, has been around since 2015, so they've had some time to make their presence known.

In short, Super Soco has had time to finetune its brand to your liking and place it in the hands of some of the world's most influential people, in the process, sparking brand awareness, among others, and sadly for the consumer, all that takes money, something that's clearly reflected in Soco's CPX.

Up next, we need to consider the fact that if you type in "Super Soco CPX in my area" in a Google search bar and tada, you'll probably find a dealership within 50 mi (80 km) of where you are. This, too, is an aspect that requires extra costs, and once again, it's reflected in the price you ultimately pay for your CPX, no matter the brand stuck to the side of it.

However, some small differences do exist. After all, things couldn't really be that blunt and simple. For example, the Soco CPX has all those little trinkets that lead us to believe that we're looking at a Super Soco vehicle, while the Charged CPX is rather bare and doesn't display the same level of trim. Sure, adding things like different color stitching and some pieces of plastic here and there is bound to cost a bit more, but is it worth over a $2K difference?

More differences are found when we also take a closer look at these vehicles' specs. For example, the Soco CPX is showcased with a top speed of 90 kph (56 mph), while the Rimau is showing 95 kph (59 mph). Soco's range stands at 137 km (85 mi) with two batteries, the other at 200 km (124 mi). Sure, the Soco is rocking a 7 kW motor, while the Rimau rocks only 4 Kw, but 5 kph (3 mph) extra with a smaller motor is bound to win over most people. Some countries in the world, however, are currently seeing a 4,800 W motor on Soco's CPX, and you'll still be paying for a nearly $2K price difference. Ok, fine, there's a windshield on Soco's CPX, too; throw in a few more bucks for that.

Finally, I want to point out that VMoto also has a CPX in their lineup. The CPX Cargo or Pro. I've added images of that tow-wheeler, too, just for comparison between the three. With a bit of software tampering, VMoto squeezes out an extra 15 kph (9mph) out of a 7 kW motor. Throw on a few pieces of plastic, and you have yourself a new vehicle altogether. But this is an EV destined only for fleet use. After all, there couldn't be two CPXs on the market.

Now, it may sound like I'm sticking it to Super Soco pretty hard, but in truth, they aren't doing anything wrong; they are just playing the game by the rules. For example, Charged doesn't ship outside Indonesia, so there will never be any shipping fees included in their CPX (Rimau) price of a tad under $2,200. Did I mention that the cost of a shipping container has jumped nearly 600% in the last two years?

Now, I started this little exploration into branding, marketing, and production to find out a bit more about how some modern businesses work, and what I found is rather shocking; some vehicles, not all, differ from others just because of the logo stuck to the side. But then again, we kind of all knew and felt this in our bones. After all, a white cotton shirt with nothing on it costs $3 in New York. Throw the name Gucci on the same shirt, and it's worth $130.

P.S. One aspect, among others, which I didn't consider in this article is the fact that some countries have different lifestyles and income levels, but you can be sure that's taken into consideration when a new vehicle pops up in your area.