TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — As the Taipei Cycle Show got underway this week, the state of the bicycle industry in Taiwan was explored further during the opening ceremony and ribbon cutting in Taipei. Industry leaders from TAITRA and the Taiwan Bicycle Exporters Association shared year-end 2013 statistics and insights into 2014 with the media and others early in the show.
In 2013, Taiwan exported 3.83 million units of complete bicycles, and export to several markets grew significantly. Export to China reached 250,000 units with a total value of $85 million, a growth of of 165 and 87 percent respectively over 2012.
Part of this growth was due to the passage of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, which was signed between Taiwan and China to gradually reduce tariffs from 13 percent to zero in 2012. Rapidly growing economies, an emerging middle class with increasing spending power and more interest in cycling for leisure in southeast Asia played a role in rising exports to countries like Thailand, which grew 68 percent in volume and nearly 83 percent in total value in 2013 as compared to the previous year. Sales reached 39,000 in units and $14.69 million in dollars.
Exports to New Zealand also rose nearly 45 percent in 2013, from $16 million to about $23 million over the same period in 2012, which can in part be attributed to an agreement between New Zealand and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Cooperation to lift tariffs on bicycle tariffs, which went into effect on December 1,2013. In anticipation of the tariff being eliminated, the export of bikes to New Zealand began to increase before the agreement was signed.
But despite growth in export volume to some emerging markets, the total export of complete bicycle units worldwide fell 11.5 percent in 2013 over 2012, and the value also fell from $1 billion in 2012 to $1.7 billion in 2013. However, average unit price increased nearly 8 percent from $417.96 in 2012 to $450 in 2013.
By region, the European Union remained the top importer of complete bicycles from Taiwan in 2013, accounting for 51 percent of total export volume, or 1.9 million units and nearly 40 percent of total export in value at $73 million--which was a decrease compared with 2012, falling 21 percent in unit and 15 percent in dollars in 2013. The US, Canada and Mexico accounted for 19 percent of Taiwan's total export value, coming in at 736,000 units to value $466 million.
Taiwan's strategy to focus on high-end markets has carried the country's bicycle industry through economic downturn in major export markets. As cycling continues to grow on a global scale, the Tiawanese industry will strive to keep its role as the leading supplier of high-end bicycles worldwide while meeting the demands of new market segments via innovative design and the development of accessories. Taiwan will also continue to focus on emerging markets like China and the countries of southeast Asia.