Cycling Promotion Fund Media Release: Bicycles extend sales lead on cars – record year hits nearly 1.3 million

Bicycles have extended their sales lead over cars for 2006, with Australian bike sales hitting a new record of almost 1.3 million while car sales declined from the previous year. Bicycle sales in Australia totalled 1,273,781 for their fifth straight year of million-plus sales, more than 32 per cent ahead of the motor vehicle sales total of 962,521.

In the seventh successive year in which bicycles have outsold cars, bikes have extended their lead to more than 300,000 – a sales edge which comfortably exceeds the total sales of vehicle market leader Toyota. The Cycling Promotion Fund (CPF), Australia’s peak bicycle promotional body, said sales had increased by nine per cent as more and more Australians turned to cycling to boost their fitness and cut their petrol bills.

CPF spokesman Ian Christie said Australians were using bikes not just for recreation but increasingly as their preferred form of day-to-day transport. “There is an emerging trend towards people using bikes as their official company-supplied vehicle in place of the traditional company car,” he said. “Some of Australia’s biggest corporations now have bicycle fleets, and when you add in government organisations, we now know of at least 50 organisations which operate fleets of bikes.

“Although the company bicycle is a long way from taking over from the company car, it’s an important trend when you consider that nearly half of all cars sold are to company fleets.” Mr Christie said record sales were across all market segments from everyday recreational bikes and children’s bikes right through to high-end road and competition bicycles.
 

Media inquiries: Ian Christie – 0431 770 982 Rosemarie Speidel – 0407 537 760

SIX THINGS YOU MIGHT KNOW ABOUT CYCLING

- In 2004 transport accounted for almost 14% of Australia’s net emissions with 76.2 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent – 23% higher than the 1990 level.

- In the year 2000, 101 million bicycles were produced globally versus 41 million cars.

- 20% of Australians travel 5km or less to work or study – an ideal cycling distance.

- 80% of all trips to work or study in Australia are made by car (reference ABS 4602.0 March 2006).

- Approx 3.3 million Australians are obese, with another 5.6million overweight (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2003). - 19-23% of Australian children and adolescents are either overweight or obese.