Global sales on the rise

The global bike boom looks set to remain strong with 4.9% annual growth in demand every year until 2009, according to market researchers the Freedonia Group.

Congestion charging, traffic jams and anti-car legislation in the developed world will help. Ever increasing fuel prices mean efficient bikes remain a great buy in the developing world, too.

But the 4.9% annual growth is a slow-down compared to its 6.8% rate from 1999 to 2004. Details: www.freedoniagroup.com

The report says high-powered bikes will remain popular but raises concerns over aging US and Western European customer bases. China has started restricting bike use in some cities and other Asian cities may follow, according to industryweek.com

The Asian market sells the biggest numbers of bikes (and mopeds) but most major manufacturers will continue to focus their marketing on the west because they earn bigger revenues from the smaller number of higher-profit-margin bikes.

The Japanese Automotive Manufacturers Association has reported a 4.6% rise in bike production in the last 12 months. Exports, they say, were up 23%.

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