Bike unit sales drop in Germany

Germany cycle industry association ZIV (Zweirad-Industrie-Verband) revealed that the country had seen a drop in the number of bike sales last year, as reported by Bike Europe.

2009 saw a 12 per cent drop in ‘domestic deliveries’ of bikes, considerably more than the predicted five to six per cent decline.

However, bike total turnover increased, with German IBDs grabbing a larger share – up five per cent to 68 per cent. Electric bikes were reportedly a significant factor in the share grab.

The electric bike market bucked the trend in Germany, with 36 per cent more sales compared to 2008.

German bike production dropped seven per cent to 2.25 million units, though larger demand for high-end bikes meant the total value of German produced bikes were raised by 4.4 per cent. Exports from the territory also grew – by nine per cent to 1,050,000 units.