Over the last several months Dahon Tech has made headlines repeatedly in the trade media. The Show Daily sat down with founder and CEO Dr. David Hon at Taipei Cycle 2026 to learn more about the folding bike specialist’s plans.
Currently 90 percent of the turnover of Dahon Tech stems from sales within China, with the rest of the world accounting for 10 percent. But until eight years ago this was the other way around, as Dr. David Hon explains: “To boost innovation and added value from industrial production, China has introduced stricter intellectual property laws. As these laws are enforced, we have seen copycats disappear from the market, boosting Dahon Tech’s domestic business.” Dahon Tech increased its turnover by 50 percent year-on-year in 2024 and another 40 percent in 2025, mainly through the sale of folding bikes. These account for 75 percent of the company’s turnover, with e-motorbikes adding 20 percent and accessories another five percent.
While online shops play a large role for many product categories in China, Dahon Tech generates 75 percent of its turnover through classic retail channels, with online shops accounting for the other 25 percent. Over the next couple of years the company wants to grow its export business to match domestic sales. For Southeast Asia, Dahon Tech expects to expand through its line-up of e-motorbikes launched in 2025 and the new Biceco brand that is premiering at Taipei Cycle. These folding bikes combine all the know-how of Dahon at a price that is about 15 percent lower, putting an emphasis on affordability to get more people on folding bikes.
With its refined folding mechanism, Dahon’s novel Lunden platform, offered with both alloy and steel frames, is aimed at affluent markets. The Mariner model has been certified for rider weights of 150 kg to match the demands of the American and some European markets. As a part of the joint venture with the Golden Wheel Group, Dahon’s e-motorcycles are built in the new Dagold factory in Tianjin. A large chunk of the funds generated by Dahon Tech’s IPO at Hong Kong’s stock exchange in last September has been invested in a new factory that is currently being built in the Southern Chinese city of Huizhou. Measuring 48,000 m2, this factory will further add to the production capacity.According to Dr. David Hon: “Together with two other Chinese companies, we are looking into buying a factory in Germany and thus securing a production base inside the EU as well. This is favorable due to existing tariffs and will also reduce lead times.” The strategic cooperation with Ideal Bikes is also aiming to support Dahon Tech’s growth ambitions for global markets.