The Zweirad-Industrie-Verband (ZIV), or the Association of the Two-Wheel Industry in Germany, has published its annual report on sales of muscle bikes and e-bikes registered in 2023. For the first time in history , VAEs are in the lead, in a nevertheless delicate context.
Until then, only one European country could boast of selling more electric bikes than mechanical bikes on its territory: the Netherlands. However, Germany and Austria were not really far away from 2022, as the Bike EU figures showed us at the time. And for at least one of its two countries, the switch was officially made in 2023: it is Germany.
The country’s Two-Wheel Industry Association, also known by the acronym ZIV, recently released its annual report. As a reminder, this organization is made up of around 100 member companies specializing in the production, import and manufacturing of parts, components and accessories for bicycles and electric bicycles.
VAEs take the lead
The figures are clear: in 2023, VAEs represent 53% of cycle sales across the Rhine, compared to 47% of muscular bikes. In detail, this percentage represents a total of 2.1 million electric models sold, or 200,000 more than last year. During a conference, the ZIV also gave more details on the most popular eBike families.
Surprisingly and unlike France, it is electric mountain bikes which dominate the sales ranking: 39%. Here, in 2022, this category of bicycles will reach 22% of sales. Unsurprisingly, hybrid bikes (25%) and urban bikes (21%) complete the podium, followed by cargo bikes (9%) and road and gravel bikes (3%).
Germany is a strong market in Europe for bicycles. This country is an important indicator of the shape of the sector, which is experiencing a significant overall drop in terms of sales: – 13% of bicycles sold (muscular and electric), or 4 million cycles sold compared to 4.6 million in 2022.
A falling value
Despite the new domination of electricity, the value of the German market was recorded at 7.06 billion euros compared to 7.36 billion in 2022. The 2023 vintage, however, remains better than that of 2021, where the value rose at 6.56 billion euros. The average price of an VAE has also increased: 2950 euros, compared to 2800 euros in 2022. In France, the average price is moving closer to 2000 euros.
To know all these figures on the scale of our country, we will have to wait until the Vélo In Paris festival, where the Union Sport & Cycle will unveil its 2023 Cycle Observatory. The opportunity then to better understand the state of our cycle market and observe the new trends in vogue.
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