(BRAIN) — Blaupunkt, the car audio brand that began selling folding e-bikes in 2018, plans to move its e-bike assembly for the U.S. market from Paraguay to Western North Carolina.
Blaupunkt's cast magnesium frames will continue to be made in Malaysia or China, Brian Tedesco, the president of Blaupunkt Americas, told BRAIN in an email this week.
Brands including California's Electric Bike Company currently finish and assemble e-bikes in the U.S., and eBliss plans to begin U.S. assembly in New York this year. Boutique e-MTB brands including Pivot, Yeti and Santa Cruz also assemble bikes and e-bikes in the U.S. But Tedesco said Blaupunkt will become the first "major" e-bike brand to begin U.S. assembly.
"It’s a risk to go first, but we believe in the American worker, and we plan to hire 60–80 production line employees over time. The new facility will be designed to produce up to 250,000 UL 2849-certified Blaupunkt foldable e-bikes per year," he said.
He said Blaupunkt's factory will be in Western North Carolina, near Asheville. Relocation from Paraguay is underway, with the start of production targeted for the first quarter of 2026.
"This new facility will be set up with the support of our Paraguay factory, which will continue to play a critical role in both launch and daily operations," Tedesco said.
"We are replicating the same state-of-the-art processes we established in Paraguay — ISO standards, UL 2849 certification, and disciplined quality control. Just as our 2022 decision to manufacture in the Americas (via Paraguay) was a long-term play, this next step reflects the same philosophy: If you want the privilege of selling to U.S. dealers, you should produce as close to home as possible. Paraguay was the nearshore foundation. Now it’s time to onshore," he said.
Tedesco participated in a PeopleForBikes-organized domestic manufacturing tour of the Carolinas last month. He said Blaupunkt supports H.R. 3904, the U.S. Bicycle Production and Assembly Act, which PeopleForBikes is supporting. The bill would support domestic bike assembly and manufacturing.
