Editor's note:The following article is part of a package of stories on the Chinese bike market than ran in the April 15 issue of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News.
China leads the world by far in bicycle production even as lower-cost labor markets such as Southeast Asia, Bangladesh and India start to develop a manufacturing base.
The number of bikes exported from China fell less than 5 percent last year, potentially reflecting the new players, although the number of e-bikes shipped out of China rose and the value of parts exported increased significantly. Imports into China, while still very small, jumped almost 150 percent last year compared with 2010, as consumer demand for high-end bikes picked up.
Production volume:
83.45 million units, up 2.3 percent from 2010
Exports:
55.72 million units, down 4.2 percent in units from 2010. Total export value: $2.9 billion.
E-bikes: 607,000, an increase of 3.8 percent at a value of $260 million. Parts: $2.53 billion, up 17.3 percent.
Imports:
67,000 units imported to China in 2011, an increase of 148.1 percent year over year. Value was $23.65 million, an increase of 108.4 percent. Average price per unit $353, a decrease of 16 percent.
Source: China Bicycle Association
