Taipei - Taiwan's bicycle manufacturer Giant, riding on robust sales in China due to the Beijing Olympics, is poised to achieve at least 10 per cent growth in output in 
2008, the company said Tuesday.

"In 2007 we manufactured 5.02 million bikes. In the first half of 2008, our output hit 2.96 million units, up 6 per cent year-on-year in quantity and up 25 per cent in revenue," Giant spokesman Jeffrey Sheu said.

Giant, a world leader in high-end bikes, is optimistic about its whole-year output as it had bumper sales in Beijing in the run-up and during the August 8-24 Beijing Olympics.

Giant's sales in Beijing rose 30 per cent between January-June and surged 200 per cent in July. In July, Giant sold more than 20,000 bikes in Beijing, compared to about 
6,000 bikes in a normal month.

"There were several reasons for our record sales in July - Beijing's restricting vehicles on the road according to plate numbers, 18 per cent rise in gas price, China's call for holding a green Olympics, and strict security measures on Beijing subway, prompting many residents to switch to riding bikes," Lin Ching-fa, one of the two Giant dealers in Beijing, said in a telephone interview from the Chinese capital.

Figures for Giants' August sales in Beijing are not out yet, but Lin estimated it soared about 30 per cent.

Taiwan's largest bicycle manufacturer is headquartered in Taichung, central Taiwan, but has moved its production abroad to cut production cost and to be closer to export markets.

Currently, nearly 50 per cent of Giant's production is carried out in China, 19 per cent in Taiwan and the rest in other countries.

The United States is the top export market for Giant bikes (30 per cent), followed by the European Union (25 per cent), China (19 per cent), Taiwan (15 per cent) and other countries (11 per cent).

Giant produces racing bikes, mountain bikes, lifestyle bikes and folding bikes.

The price for a Giant bike ranges from 60 US dollars for a leisure bike to 7,000 US dollars for a racing bike. (dpa)