Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/780450
MOTORCYCLE KYMCO turns to CES to reveal Noodoe scooter app BY KATE SWANSON ASSISTANT EDITOR The 2017 Consumer Electronic Show (CES) is by far one of the most popular shows held at the Las Vegas Convention Center. In its 50th year, CES 2017 showcased more than 3,800 exhibiting companies and had a footprint of 2.6 million square feet. For this record- breaking year, CES reported that attendance was 175,000. The show covers a large variety of technology, from smart watches to smart cars, and now, customizing the powersports rider's experience. KYMCO, the Taiwan-based brand that began its operations in 1964, chose to debut its new Noodoe technology app at this year's CES, a first for the company. KYMCO USA's marketing manager Peter Jones said that CES was the perfect fit for the brand to be on the edge of technology and seize an opportunity for increased exposure. Allen Ko, chairman of KYMCO Group Tai- wan, presented the Internet of Vehicle (IoV) technology to a full room of media writers from around the world. "The CES show is about technology and innovation. In the past, we were just a scooter manufacturer, but now we have Noodoe and it really fit into the seam of CES. We decided we should come here and let everybody know about this new concept — the right concept," he said. Noodoe, KYMCO's exclusive IoV, is an in- dash featured app that automatically connects via Bluetooth to a user's smartphone. Noodoe gets its namesake from KYMCO's partner, Noo- doe, which is also a Taiwanese company, with a rich history of innovation and technology. KYMCO and Noodoe worked to develop the product for two years. "Noodoe is a really innovative product. It points in a totally different direction com- pared to what you see in the market these days. Most people try to empower their vehi- cle, we try to celebrate the person — it's a different approach," Ko said. "If you look carefully, you will notice that basically all the features have nothing to do with the vehicle, but it has everything to do with the user. Everybody pays attention to the vehicles, but not the user of them. Ultimately you have to give the best user experience and that's what we really care about." The Noodoe platform includes features such as clock, weather, compass, speedom- eter, Find My Ride and a personal notifica- tions function. The Find My Ride feature can automatically send the scooter's most recent parking location to the user's smartphone and through GoogleMaps, will lead them back to the scooter. The technology works in two sepa- rate modes, ride and stop. There are three but- tons on the right handle, up and down arrows Customizing the user experience 26 • February 13, 2017 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com See KYMCO, Page 27 KYMCO's Noodoe in-dash featured app can use any image as the background. Assistant editor Kate Swanson had her own customized dashboard made during a walk- through of the product. KYMCO Group Taiwan chairman Allen Ko presented the Noodoe app to a room full of media reporters dur- ing the 2017 CES in Las Vegas. KYMCO had a booth in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, where traffic was consistent with inter- ested attendants. The booth featured two separate KYMCO scooters and staff to explain the app to viewers.