Sanyo Canada and Groupe Procycle are breaking ground by rolling out the first mass-produced electric bicycle aimed at Canada’s baby boomers.
Toronto-based Sanyo and Montreal-based Procycle are marketing a new ‘bionic’ bike which will allow cyclists to enjoy the benefits of a conventional bike that’s equipped with a battery-operated electric motor when pedaling becomes too tough.
Designed very much like a regular bike, the CY50’s rear-wheel hub will contain a 10-inch diameter disc which will house a battery-powered electric motor and a powerful transmission, good for roughly 20 kilometres of power-assisted cycling.
Included with the bike will be a charger and an additional battery, for extended travel. A simple switch on the handle bar will allow cyclists to go from regular cycling to power-assist.
‘The end-user will be the 35-year-old and up demographic,’ says Barry Richler, Sanyo Canada’s vice-president of marketing for audio, appliances and batteries.
Richler says the bike is especially useful for parents who bring their children along when riding. The additional power will allow them to go uphill with a child in a bike seat without getting tired.
Richler says Sanyo will also be targeting hotels, resorts and retirement homes where elderly guests and residents might be inclined to take a relaxing ride. He says a Toronto-based courier company has already shown an interest in the bike for its staff.
The bike was first launched in Japan in 1995, where it currently holds 30% of the market share, well in front of its electric-bike competitors Honda, Yamaha and Panasonic, according to Richler.
In Japan, it retails for just under cdn$1000. Models were introduced in Germany and France in 1996. The bike was launched last week at Toronto’s bicycle show, and is available to consumers at a retail cost of $1299.
‘As far as power-assist electric bikes go, we are getting in on the ground floor and we will define what the market will be,’ says Richler. ‘Frankly, we would like to see competitors enter the market because no brand name can have the market for itself.’
Even though the bike is the only one of its kind in the Canadian market, no major ad campaign is set for the near future.
Richler says Sanyo wants to spend some time getting the product into stores and introducing it to the public by word-of-mouth and through various catalogues and direct-response houses.
Sanyo is also looking at programs with companies that put together premium and incentive programs.
Richler says Sanyo will focus its distribution efforts on consumer electronics and hardware dealers that currently do business with Sanyo and who wish to sell something more exciting and profitable besides vcrs and stereos, while Procycle will concentrate on bike specialist retailers.
Sanyo is well established in the audio and appliance industry, while Procycle, marketer of ccm bikes, has the North American licence for big-name specialist brands such as Peugeot, Mikado and Velo-sport.
Sanyo and Procycle formed their alliance 10 months ago.
Koshi Terakawa, Sanyo Japan’s manager of product planning for consumer products, in Toronto for the Canadian launch, says he has tested the bike and the ride is very smooth and ‘absolutely marvelous.’
He says the motor’s hum is almost inaudible.
