Dahon California announced record sales results in 2003. Unit volumes increased by 28% compared to 2002. Dahon produced and sold an all time record high of 160,000 folding bicycles in 2003 compared to 125,000 units in 2002.

“It’s a bit difficult to believe that we managed to do so well despite the difficult economic conditions in 2003,” stated Dr. David Hon, Dahon president. “We put it down to lots of hard work and a bit of good luck. What’s especially encouraging is that the demand for folding bicycles is broadening to a much wider consumer base. Our customer base used to be limited to the older, casual cyclist but now we are getting young and old, casual and hard-core.”

Dahon recorded growth in all of its major markets: the United States, the EU, and Japan. Almost all of Dahon’s existing customers recorded strong year on year growth. In the UK for instance, the new London congestion charge contributed to 105% sales growth. In 2003, Dahon established new distributors in Spain, Portugal, Korea, and China as well as adding several important OEM customers.

“What is even more exciting is that even though we’ve grown at a strong 20-30% over the last several years, the demand for quality folding bikes is actually accelerating in 2004,” Hon continued. “Our order book for the first four months of 2004 is more than 70% ahead of 2003 and we are on pace to produce at least 250,000 bikes.”
For 2004, Dahon has added several distributors: Fisher (UK), Jose Alvarez (France), Thalinger (Austria), Buzaglo (Benelux), Acme (Taiwan). In addition, Dahon has added several significant OEM customers.