The TGB Akros was one of the first models through which Taiwanese scooters reached German buyers. The Akros 50 was imported between 1995 and 2001 by Auto-Teile-Unger in Weiden, before Taiwan Golden Bee settled on a single German importer, and the maker still lists the model, in an Akros tec form, among its familiar machines.
TGB Akros at a glance
| Maker | Taiwan Golden Bee Co., Ltd. (TGB), Taiwan |
|---|---|
| Model | TGB Akros |
| Listed versions | Akros and Akros tec |
| German import 1995–2001 | Akros 50, brought in by Auto-Teile-Unger, Weiden |
| Sold in Germany until | 2003, through Motor Sport Accessoires GmbH |
| Engines | mainly Morini units, licence-built Moto Franco Morini designs |
| Assembly | Taiwan: Youn-An and Ping-Tung plants |
| Later German distribution | ZEG from 2001; Leeb of Austria from 2008 |
No Wikipedia page exists for this model in any language. The page is built from the German, Polish and English articles on the manufacturer, Taiwan Golden Bee; the source gives no technical data for the Akros itself.
History of the TGB Akros
The Akros belongs to the period when TGB was still finding its way into Europe model by model. Between 1995 and 2001 the Akros 50 and the Ergon 50 were imported into Germany by Auto-Teile-Unger in Weiden in the Oberpfalz, and sales there continued until 2003 through Motor Sport Accessoires GmbH. Those two scooters, rather than any quad, were the company’s first presence on German roads.
The manufacturer’s model list still carries the model, in two forms: the Akros and the Akros tec. The Polish article names the second of them, the German one the first, and neither goes further than the name. There is no article on the Akros in any language of Wikipedia and the source gives no engine size, frame details or production years, so the scooter is described here through its distribution history, which is the part of its story the sources actually record.
Taiwan Golden Bee itself began in 1965 as Taiwan Vespa Co. Ltd., building Piaggio scooters under Italian licence for the Taiwanese market. The name changed in 1978, when production of the company’s own vehicles started. Since then the firm has worked in both the two- and four-wheel sectors, and it supplies complete continuously variable transmission systems to Piaggio, Rotax/Can-Am, Peugeot, Polaris, Minarelli, Morini and SYM. Its bodywork is largely its own work, while cockpits, handlebar switches and engines come mainly from Morini, whose units are licence-built Moto Franco Morini designs.
After the A.T.U years the marque was reorganised in Germany: from 2001 the Cologne cooperative ZEG held the exclusive import rights, having already sold TGB vehicles as Pegasus since 1997, and since 2008 scooters and quads have come through the Austrian importer Leeb. The Akros, in other words, spans both arrangements, from the hardware-chain era to the present dealer network.
Design and features
- Early European entry: the Akros 50 was among the first TGB models sold in Germany.
- Hardware-chain distribution: it was imported by Auto-Teile-Unger and sold there until 2003.
- Two listed forms: the maker names the Akros and the Akros tec.
- Morini engines: the company fits mainly Morini units, licence-built Moto Franco Morini designs.
TGB Akros versions
- Akros 50: the version imported into Germany between 1995 and 2001.
- Akros tec: the second form in the manufacturer’s list.
- Ergon 50: the sister model imported through the same channel in the same years.
The TGB 101 and TGB Tapo are the scooters closest to it in the range. More machines are in the TGB collection.
Video: TBG Akros project 2014!
Video by TeamSketa on YouTube.
Sources
- Taiwan Golden Bee, German Wikipedia: A.T.U and MSA import years, model list, company facts
- Taiwan Golden Bee, Polish Wikipedia: Akros tec in the model list
- Taiwan Golden Bee, English Wikipedia: company origins and transmission supply
