China’s Robotic Lawnmower Makers Race Into Europe

At least nine Chinese brands launched new robotic lawnmowers at this year’s IFA, Europe’s largest consumer electronics show, as the industry commits to continued expansion in the EU, despite an ongoing anti-dumping investigation by Brussels against their products.

Chinese lawnmower makers turned one hall at IFA in Berlinwhich ran from Friday to Tuesdayinto a patchwork of artificial gardens, with brands setting up demonstrations on their respective turfs.

“Everyone came in over the past two years,” said Ryan Kong, Segway Navimow’s general manager for Europe. Robotic lawnmowers, a category with almost no market in China, have become a new export frontier for Chinese makers. IFA had no shortage of loud newcomers. 

Robot vacuum makers Dreame and Roborock, plus pool-robot maker Aiper, have all entered the market since 2024. Mova, a Dreame brand, hired a DJ, as five mowers waved fans with robotic arms in time with the music to draw visitors.Chinese makers have been drawn by the growth potential of what was once a niche market.

 Annual sales of robotic lawnmowers in Europe have risen from about 800,000 units in 2021 to roughly two million, and could reach three to four million, Kong estimated.Navimow’s growth has mirrored the market. Launched in 2021, the company said global sales rose from 3,000 units in its first full year to about 300,000 last year. Its operating entity earned 269 million yuan ($40.1 million) in the first half, according to the interim report from its parent company Segway-Ninebot.

The market has already drawn scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic. The US Federal Communications Commission added foreign-made advanced robots, including lawnmowers, to its Covered List on July 28, barring new models from sale in the country. The European Commission, meanwhile, opened an anti-dumping investigation into Chinese robotic lawnmowers in November.

Several people in the industry said they expected any final EU duty to exceed 20 per cent – one person put it at above 40 per cent. The sources asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter. Even so, none of the Chinese companies at IFA showed any signs of pulling back fromEurope.

An anti-dumping investigation could raise the barrier to entry, but may not dissuade companies with deep pockets, other businesses to fall back on and a complete supply network, said Guan Ruhang, marketing head of the new-category business unit at Roborock.

Roborock, which began selling mowers in Germany in March, is pushing into authorised specialist dealers, Amazon and the building materials chain Bauhaus.

Mammotion said it had about 1,000 employees, large for a company in the sector, and was still hiring in sales and engineering.The threat of steep anti-dumping duties was also prompting several Chinese makers to redraw their supply chains. Mova said it and other companies were considering plants in Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam to guard against potential duties.

Yet regulatory pressure is only one challenge. As more Chinese firms pile into the market, their fiercest competition is not from Swedish brand Husqvarna or other established European makers, but from one another.