Mon, Jun 25, 2018 page15

• Bicycle exports up 16% by value

  ELECTRIC: Shipments of Taiwan-made electric bicycles this year have risen 38.86 percent to 110,548 units, figures from the Taiwan Bicycle Association showed

  • By Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporter
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  The total value of the nation’s bicycle exports increased 16.3 percent year-on-year to US$545.9 million during the first five months of this year, as rising average product prices offset declining overseas shipments, the Taiwan Bicycle Association reported on its Web site, citing the latest Ministry of Finance statistics.

  The data also showed that although demand has been rising in Indonesia, Mexico, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Ukraine, markets such as the US, Canada, the EU, Japan, Australia, China and South Korea remain the main destinations for Taiwanese bicycles, accounting for nearly 90 percent of total exports.

  Association showed that the combined value of bicycle exports from January to last month grew 41.99 percent year-on-year in Japan, followed by growth of 36.82 percent in China, 31.95 percent in the three countries of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and 22.46 percent in Australia, but declined 34.22 percent in Thailand and 31.04 percent in Malaysia.

  

  Cyclists take part in the Merida-Maxxis Cup 100km challenge in Changhua County on March 24.

  Photo: Chen Kuan-pei, Taipei Times

  The 28 EU nations were still the biggest export market in the first five months of the year, as the bloc bought US$214.31 million — or 39.26 percent — of the nation’s exports, with the combined export value increasing 8.29 percent from the same period last year, the data showed.

  Among the major EU markets, sales to the Netherlands surged 54.51 percent from last year and shipments to Spain jumped 43.38 percent, while exports to the UK declined 6.93 percent and those to Belgium dropped 9.7 percent, the data showed.

  In the face of rising competition from makers of low-priced bicycles in China and other emerging markets, local makers such as Giant Manufacturing Co (巨大機械), Merida Industry Co (美利達) and Ideal Bike Corp (愛地雅) have continued to focus on mid-priced and high-end models, as well as developing their own brands and targeting electric bicycles, the association said.

  The companies’ efforts have paid off, helping to drive up the average selling price of Taiwan-made products 29.54 percent to US$603.78 per bicycle in the first five months of the year, from US$466.09 last year, it said.

  Higher average prices helped Taiwanese bicycle makers buck continued downward pressure on their overseas shipments, which fell 10.22 percent annually to 904,140 units, the data showed.

  The association attributed the rising selling prices partly to strong growth momentum in the electric bicycle market, which saw average selling prices grow 10.97 percent to US$1,394.25 per bicycle.

  Shipments of Taiwan-made electric bicycles during the five-month period increased 38.86 percent to 110,548 units, with the total export value rising 54.1 percent to US$154.13 million from a year earlier, the data showed.

  The EU remained the largest market for locally produced electric bicycles, ordering 71,979 units in the first five months, followed by 25,231 units ordered by NAFTA members.

  However, shipment growth to the EU might decelerate significantly because European importers have built up inventories to hedge against an anti-dumping tariff that might be imposed by the European Commission on electric bicycles exported from China, where many Taiwanese makers have set up factories, Deutsche Bank AG said in a client note last month.

  Electric bicycles made in China need to be registered when imported into the EU and they are subject to a potential anti-dumping duty, a public document released by the European Commission on May 3 said.

  A preliminary ruling expected to come out sometime next month could subject Chinese electric bicycles to an anti-dumping tariff of between 80 and 170 percent, the Chinese-language Commercial Times reported on Thursday.
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