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THURSDAY,
MARCH 17TH
TAIPEI
In the face of a weak global economy, Taiwan’s bike industry managed a surprisingly strong performance last year, officials said on the eve of the Taipei Cycle show. In 2010, shipments of complete bikes rose 17.9 percent to 5.07 million units over the previous year. By value, exports reached $1.5 billion, up more than 20 percent over 2009. Tony Lo, chairman of the Taiwan Bicycle Exporters Association, released the latest trade figures Tuesday at a pre-show press conference in Taipei. Exports of bike parts posted grew an astounding 29 percent, officials said. Although the average price of completed bikes increased by a relatively scant 2 percent to $257, industry players said this was not unexpected, given the more conservative stance of consumers in the new economy. But Lo said early indications for 2011 are encouraging. In the first two months, he said, sales to North America reached 124,900 units, up 37 percent compared to the same period of 2010. However, Lo said, exports to Europe were down significantly, possibly due to bad weather.
Tony Lo
Taipei Cycle also saw increased traffic yesterday for the first day of the show.
TAITRA’s Andrea Wu said that despite travel cancellations caused by the Japan earthquake, the number of international visitors on Wednesday reached 3,823—an increase of 16.5 percent over the first day of 2009. Lo, who appeared with TAITRA’s Walter Yeh, praised TAITRA for holding the Taipei Cycle show and contributing to the development of the bike industry in Taiwan. He added that although Europe remained the biggest market for bikemakers, the industry is broadening its reach to global buyers. Questioned about the possibility of a separate show for the burgeoning LEV market, Lo replied that the segment still did not warrant its own show at this time. “The best way is to keep bicycles and LEVs together,” he said. Yeh said show organizers have continued to make Taipei Cycle better. Recent improvements this year and next include the launch of eight free shuttle bus routes, opening a second MRT line, and increasing other complimentary services for visitors. TK
Above: Bicycle Industry leaders participated in the grand opening of the 24th annual Taipei International Cycle Show yesterday.
ENGLISH
TAIWAN EXPORTS ROAR INTO 2011
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