The press conference took place in Taipei to announce the TAIPEI CYCLE d&i award winners. The conference was hosted ahead of TAIPEI CYCLE and TAIPEI CYCLE DigitalGo, which will both kick off on 9 March. There will be 638 exhibitors participating in the physical show, including well-known brands such as MERIDA, GIANT, KMC, SRAM, and SHIMANO. 207 exhibitors will also be joining TAIPEI CYCLE DigitalGo, the virtual exhibition. This will be the first physical TAIPEI CYCLE in two years, and it will be offering diverse activities and optimized digital solutions to facilitate interaction between exhibitors and visitors and help them to reach more international business.

At the press conference, Mr. Gideon Loewy, head of the jury, was invited to share his thoughts and observations on this year’s award winners, and prospects beyond. Opening remarks were given by Mr. Guann-Jyh Lee, Deputy Director General, Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Ms. Leonor F. M. Lin, President & CEO, Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), and Ms. Gina Chang, Secretary General, Taiwan Bicycle Association (TBA).

In his opening remarks, Mr. Lee highlighted the success of Taiwan’s bicycle industry over the past two years. According to the Bureau of Foreign Trade’s latest statistics, traditional bicycle exports grew by 17% in volume (1.99 million units) and 19.7% in value (1314.3 million USD) from 2020 to 2021.

E-bikes had an even more outstanding performance with 987,000 units (+30%) exported in 2021 worth 1314.4 million USD (+33%). There has been double digit growth for e-bike exports for 4 consecutive years.

Ms. Leonor F. M. Lin added that among the top ten markets for Taiwan’s e-bikes, the Netherlands, USA, Germany, UK, Canada, China, France, Australia all had increased demand for e-bikes. Exports to the UK grew by 154.58% and to Germany by 103.69%, both surpassing 100%. Exports to the USA grew by 61.88% and to France by a staggering 48.28%. Taiwan’s e-bikes exports have been the biggest driving force for industry growth.

E-bikes will feature prominently in the upcoming TAIPEI CYCLE DigitalGo, scheduled to take place March 9 – April 8. It aims to be the best networking platform for industry professionals, helping bring all 207 exhibitors closer to global buyers.