BROOKLYN, N.Y. (BRAIN) — Vela Bikes, an e-bike brand launched in Brazil 12 years ago, plans to move all its operations and manufacturing to the U.S. by early next year. The company is moving its headquarters to Detroit and will partner with Detroit Bikes to manufacture its bikes in the city.
Detroit Bikes, owned by Cardinal Cycling Group, makes all its steel frames in its factory, and also does wheel building and bike assembly there, for its brand and others.
“CCG is thrilled to partner with the team at Vela to move deeper into the electric bike market. Part of what makes the fit so seamless is that Vela’s flagship model is made from the same chromoly steel that CCG’s Detroit Bikes has relied on for years,” said Tony Karklins, CEO of Cardinal Cycling Group. CCG also owns TIME bikes, which it manufactures in Europe.
Justin Kosmides, co-founder and CEO of Vela Bikes, said, “After a couple of challenging years for the global supply chain, we are thrilled to take a significant step towards manufacturing our bikes in the United States.”
"Our partnership with CCG represents our commitment to building a better product and improving the experience for our community of riders — and the opportunity to do so in the U.S. makes it all the more exciting. Electric bikes are expected to continue to be the top-selling electric vehicle over the next decade, and we want American workers to benefit from that growth.”
Vela said its year-to-date sales were up 6.8 times over the same period last year.
