The Canyon Design Team has been named the 2017 Red Dot: Design Team of the Year. Since 1988, Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen has been selecting a team each year that produces excellent product design year after year. Former winners of the title include Mercedes Benz, frog, Audi, Sony, Apple, adidas, LG Electronics, Porsche, Grohe, Veryday, Bosch and in 2016 the Blackmagic Industrial Design Team led by Simon Kidd. Simon Kidd, Director of Industrial Design, will pass on the "Radius" challenge cup to Canyon CEO Roman Arnold during the Red Dot Gala in Essen.
The development of Canyon tells the unique success story of how a business that started out in a garage became one of the most modern and largest cycling manufacturers in the industry. In 1985 the company started selling bicycle parts in Koblenz under the name "Radsport Arnold." The parts were initially sold from a blue trailer, then from a garage and soon after from a bicycle shop. By 1996, the company's first own bikes went into production. The decisive steps to becoming a leading international bicycle manufacturer were made in the early 2000s: Radsport Arnold was renamed Canyon Bicycles GmbH in 2002, and direct online sales started in 2003. What was once a trailer has now become a whole factory. The 22,000 square-metre Canyon Factory produces around 400 bikes daily and dispatches these around the world directly from the factory.
"I am delighted that this year's 'Red Dot: Design Team of the Year' title of honour goes to Canyon, which has become a global player in the industry and has been filling our jury with enthusiasm for several years now," commented Professor Dr Peter Zec, founder and CEO of the Red Dot Award. "Canyon bikes show the potential a brand can develop when the focus is on the person, who is always searching for more than just a bike: namely a constant companion in the countryside or in the city, or as a professional athlete. This is achieved through the exemplary customer-focused design and by the unique production and sales structures."