L’Econòmic | Ànima Design designs the new electric motorcycle for Rieju

Rieju has made a new contribution to sustainable mobility with the eTango motorcycle, a 100% electric off-road vehicle that was designed by the Ànima Design studio.

Ànima Design only needed six months to bring this motorcycle to life. It inherits the name of the combustion Tango model, which was a great sales success in 2006. This short timeframe allowed the motorcycle to be presented at EICMA, the international motorcycle show in Milan. Diego Quiroga, founder and CEO of Ànima Design, explains: “Besides the short deadline, we had another important challenge, the technical one, as we had to maintain the original chassis, into which we had to incorporate several innovative solutions,” such as the electronic and magnetic key with anti-theft function and automatic engine disconnection in case of a fall, as well as an LCD display with three driving modes: Turtle, Rabbit, and Rocket, which offer different performance depending on the environment. Quiroga adds, “the effort was worth it, as the eTango has been recognized with national design awards, such as the Delta from ADI-FAD, and international ones, such as the European Product Design Award and the FIT Sport Design Award, which highlighted both design excellence and environmental commitment.”

Diversifying markets

Rieju, the brand founded in 1934, is making this new commitment as part of its diversification strategy, which responds to the upcoming disappearance, due to regulation, of two-stroke engines, especially in the 50 cc segment, where the Figueres brand has historically been very strong. The President and CEO, Jordi Riera, states: “We see that the combustion market is getting smaller, so we need to diversify with electric vehicles, on the one hand, and with higher displacement motorcycles, to avoid depending so much on the 50 cc segment.” In this regard, Rieju is confident that their *crossover* models Xplora 707 and Explora 557, as well as the *trail* Aventura Rally 307, will “allow them to gain those market niches” they are looking for. It should be noted that Rieju ventured into the world of high displacement starting in 2020, when it acquired the Gasgas *enduro* industrial platform, which meant an immediate expansion of its customer base.

In recent years, Rieju has received a great market response in the medium displacement segment, which led to the NKD 125 commitment for 2026. “The combustion Tango, which was one of the best-selling models, came out right at the time of the car license validation for driving 125 cc motorcycles, making them accessible to the public who wanted to start riding motorcycles.” With the eTango model, Rieju, which does not want to give up the *off-road* identity that makes it so recognizable in the market, aims to position itself as a player to watch in the electric segment, and there are plans to develop more e-bike models to have a complete electric *off-road* range. Riera points out: “The eTango motorcycle not only represents our determined entry into the electric field but also our capacity to adapt to the new context without losing our identity.” It should be noted that the company has invested 1 million euros in the eTango project.

With a turnover that already amounts to 60 million euros, its profile is clearly export-oriented, with external sales representing 82%, “compared to less than 15% before 2000”: “We sell in Europe, in markets like Italy and France, but also in the USA, South America, and Asia, with an annual production of 20,000 units.” Regarding the Asian market, Riera highlights: “We have been able to access it now thanks to high-displacement motorcycles.” In Europe, it remains the leader in low-displacement motorcycles with gear shifts, a position of dominance that is even more evident in the 50 cc market, where it holds a 32% share.

Getting closer to the customer

How does this family business that designs and manufactures in Figueres (Alt Empordà) manage to compete with the major multinational manufacturers? “In addition to competing on quality, price, or product supply, we configure the product for the customer; we make the motorcycle tailor-made for them, via the internet. Furthermore, we personalize the financing, and we handle maintenance as if it were a leasing (*renting*).”

The major project currently at the center of Rieju’s efforts is the relocation of the company, which aims to consolidate production and logistics in new facilities in Vilamalla and thus vacate the auxiliary plants it currently occupies under a rental agreement. On 90,000 m² of land, the Figueres company is constructing 20,000 m². The project, which has a budget of 20 million euros, has received support from the Electric PERTE (Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation), from which 12 million euros have been obtained.