Jan-Willem van Schaik

CHANGHUA, Taiwan - Merida Industry Co., Ltd. was particularly hit hard by the slump which hit the bicycle industry last year. In 2023 the manufacturer lost more than a quarter of its revenue. The financial performance at the start of 2024 was still not positive. The turnaround came in April, and Merida suddenly started to report strong growth figures again.

SUZHOU, China - Probably the next big growth market after e-bike is motorbikes. Drive systems are available in the market, although the number of manufacturers is still limited. As a specialist for two-wheel drive systems, manufacturer Bafang has stepped into this future growth market and founded the subsidiary T&D e-Motorcycles business group.

MALMÖ, Sweden - Nordic sports performance group WeSports has announced the acquisition of a holding stake in Cargobike. In 2023 Cargobike delivered 5,000 cargo bikes generating a turnover of SEK 116 million (€10 million).

FRANKFURT, Germany - On Sunday evening Eurobike 2024 closed the doors after five days packed with innovations, business meeting, networking events and highly informative presentations on several stages. All studies indicate a positive development in the long term for the e-bike and eco-mobility sectors. Nevertheless, the highly hoped-for market improvement in the short term is not in sight yet.

SUZHOU, China - Okawa's preparations to open a production facility in Europe have already started. In the head office of Okawa Motor Technology Co. Ltd in China the first motor assembly line with a high level of automation was being put up during Bike Europe's recent visit. Once fully operational a copy of this assembly line will be shipped to Portugal.

WICKEDE, Germany - To comply with the latest EU regulations and to step up the company's CSR effort, bicycle component manufacturer Humpert rolled out an extensive investment program for its double-nickel-chrome electroplating plant. The chrome-plated surface of all ergotec steel handlebars and handlebars will be switched to the Reach-compliant Chrome 3 process from 1st July.

LONDON, UK - BP subsidiary Castrol has invested €46.7 million in the battery-swapping ecosystems provider Gogoro. Castrol, a global leader in lubricants, recently announced a new strategy and wants to focus on the changing market demand in view of the expanding electric mobility market.

HEERENVEEN, the Netherlands - Accell Group CEO Tjeerd Jegen has revealed some clear figures in a business update on the financial situation at the company he has been heading since November 2023. The manufacturer continues to see profits drop and debts rise. "Especially in Germany, the market collapsed because dealers had and still have too high inventories," said Jegen in an interview with the Dutch media FD.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - E-bikes have become the top electric vehicle choice for European consumers, offering mobility, leisure, and health benefits. The e-bike also brought the much-wanted reshoring of production: e-bikes for European markets are predominantly made locally. While the e-bike continues to gain ground, bicycle sales have slipped away.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European bicycle industry organisations have taken a leading role in the business days program in hall 8 at Eurobike 2024. In various settings with CONEBI and CIE, pressing topics within the framework of the European Industrial policy and Green Deal will be discussed. This report offers an overview of the key issues and assumptions of legislative topics currently on the agenda at the European Commission which are relevant for the industry.