Daedong Mobility sold 96 golf carts in Japan from January through August, generating about 1.6 billion won in sales — up 3.7 times in volume and 4.5 times in revenue from the same period last year, when the company sold 26 units for about 400 million won. [Daedong]
Daedong Mobility sold 96 golf carts in Japan from January through August, generating about 1.6 billion won in sales — up 3.7 times in volume and 4.5 times in revenue from the same period last year, when the company sold 26 units for about 400 million won. [Daedong]

96 golf carts sold in Japan from Jan.–Aug., up 3.7x from a year earlier

Orders secured at 5 golf courses for 150 units worth 2.6 billion won; talks underway with 20 more for 200 additional units

Six-seat cart pilots underway in Utah, Texas and Georgia ahead of planned US market entry next year

Daedong Mobility has grown its golf cart sales in Japan 4.5 times year-on-year and is now setting its sights on the US low-speed electric vehicle market. Having built a local sales and after-service network in Japan, the company is testing market viability in the United States with a six-seat premium cart.

Daedong Mobility said Monday it sold 96 golf carts in Japan from January through August, generating about 1.6 billion won ($1.19 million) in sales. That compares with 26 units and about 400 million won in the same period last year — a 3.7-fold increase in volume and a 4.5-fold rise in revenue.

The company has secured orders from five Japanese golf courses for 150 units worth about 2.6 billion won, and is in talks with 20 additional courses for roughly 200 more units. Its full-year sales target for the Japanese golf cart business stands at 5 billion won.

Japan has roughly 2,500 golf courses, and annual domestic demand for golf carts is estimated at about 8,000 units, according to Daedong Mobility. The share of electric carts has also risen, climbing from 32 percent in 2021 to about 42 percent last year.

Daedong Mobility developed a Japan-specific product tailored to the country's hot and humid climate and local usage patterns. The cart features a built-in air conditioner integrated from the design stage, as well as a slope-detection system that limits speed on downhill terrain.

The company has also moved to build a distribution network. In January, it signed a contract with Hamada, a Japanese general trading company specializing in golf equipment. Hamada operates sales networks across the Kanto, Kansai, Mie, Kyushu and Okinawa regions. Daedong Mobility plans to use that network to expand its sales and after-service reach.

"We have confirmed the competitiveness of a business model that combines locally tailored products, production quality and a sales-service network in Japan," said Park Gyeong-jun, head of Daedong Mobility's mobility business division. "We will take the market-entry model we built in Japan and extend it to key markets including the United States, nurturing golf carts and low-speed electric vehicles as drivers of global growth."


hong@heraldcorp.com