Yokohama-based Wheelchairs company Huier will enter China by 2020, following its presence in the United States and European countries, Japanese media said. Huier's electric wheelchairs start at 450,000 yen, but are designed and capable of walking on rough ground. Huier's electric wheelchair is set to challenge a huge market in China where a rapidly growing number of elderly people are taking care of themselves.

"It was quite an accident," recalled Ya-ya Tian, head of Huier's Asia Pacific operations, according to the Nikkei of Japan on July 20. When he traveled to Beijing in the fall of 2019, he met a medical expert in Huier's wheelchair. The expert likes Huier wheelchair very much, the people around huier wheelchair also good response, so hope tian also recommended sales agency.

Huier's strength lies in its technical design, the report said. The popular C-type wheelchair breaks the traditional concept that wheelchairs are used by the infirm and adopts a linear design that looks like a "Z" from the side. The color is also based on black.

Most electric wheelchairs commonly sold in China sell for around 50,000 yen each, the report said. How do you sell a high-end wheelchair for 450,000 to 1m yen in China? Because its products are in a new category, Huier plans to raise awareness through television and online advertising aimed at high-income earners. The sales channels are e-commerce platforms and agency stores, exploring and selling at the same time.

China has a rapidly aging society and a rapidly developing market for electric wheelchairs. According to UN projections, the number of people over 65 will rise from 170 million in 2020 to 390 million in 2060.

According to the report, in response to the Chinese market, Huier said: "The problem of elderly people living on their own is of great concern. "The consumer preference for cheap goods is changing and product quality is becoming an important criterion."

Huier is already testing electric wheelchairs in airports in Europe and the United States. With a growing number of people in wheelchairs but a serious shortage of airport service staff, the experiment could help address social issues and promote products at busy airports. At home, Haneda Airport's Terminal 1 decided in June to introduce Wheeler-powered wheelchairs.

"Japan, which has the world's oldest population, can lead the world in products and services for the elderly," said Akira Sugiyama, Chief executive of Whier. Can the electric wheelchair, born in Japan, which is good at tackling the subject, be popularized in China, which has become a technological innovator?