The trade association for Germany’s bicycle manufacturers still expects the country to grow e-bike production 5 percent this year despite a slow first half.
Zweirad- Industrie-Verband e.V. (ZIV) estimates total bicycle production slipped 5-to-8 percent to about 1.6 million units in the first half of 2016, according to a report it released Tuesday ahead of the Eurobike trade show, which kicks off in Friedrichshafen Wednesday.
ZIV estimated total unit sales declined to 2.7 million bicycles during the period, but sales remained at year ago levels thanks to the growing proportion of e-bikes.
Statistics from the German government show imports of bicycles and e-bikes declined by 1.4 percent. E-bikes accounted for 19 percent of the volume. Exports of German made bicycles, meanwhile, fell by 6.8 percent compared with the first half of 2015 due largely to poor weather conditions in destination markets. E-bikes accounted for 21 percent of unit exports.
Despite the unfavorable start to the season, ZIV still expects the country’s e-bike sales to rise 5 percent to 560,000 units this year as mountain e-bikes and other e-sport bikes gain in popularity.
“This shows that the audience is getting younger, and that the e-bike is finding greater and greater acceptance among younger consumers,” stated ZIV, which succeeded in luring German Prime Minister Angela Merkel to Eurobike 2013.
During her visit, Merkel pledged to support ZIV’s call for greater investments in bike-friendly transportation infrastructure and several German policy makers are discussing subsidizing “e-mobility.”
