Taiwan posts double digit growth in bike exports, but is production moving west?
The Taiwan Bicycle Association has told a gathered audience at the Taipei Cycle Show opening ceremony that business has been strong, despite a stuttering global economy.
Figures released by the Customs Administration Ministry of Finance place the value of exports at $1.89 billion for 2015, slightly over ten percent growth on 2014.
BRAIN reports that both the Europe and US made up a good chunk of business, with the EU responsible for 55 percent of trade in 2015 – some 2.2 million complete bikes. The US accounted for 20.9 percent of trade.
Most notably, Italy’s shipments almost doubled year on year, with a 96.5 percent increase in complete bike business between the two nations.
Excluding electric bikes, the stats are bolstered heavily by improved mountain bike trade, now the strongest category with 1,114,000 complete MTBs shipped with a value of $763 million USD.
Encouragingly, something that is almost unanimously agreed upon in the industry; the average sale price is rising, with a typical unit price some 3.27 per cent higher year on year. The price of the average bike is now sat at around $474, something TBA and Giant president Tony Lo says must continue to rise in the near future, with his goal nearer $800.
Can the superpower in bike production sustain the growth, many will ask. In fact, Bike Europe suggests many European brands are cutting their presence in the far-east in favour of EU facilities. Witin that article, the Accell Group COO Jeroen SNijders pointed to the likes of Orbea, DT Swiss, Decathlon and his own company’s investment in European production.
