TAIPEI, Taiwan — March 9, 2006 — Dahon, the world's largest manufacturer of folding bicycles is proud to announce that the Dahon Ciao has been nominated as a finalist for the Dutch "Bicycle of the Year 2006". Judged by the professional jury of the Fiets RAI Show in the Netherlands, six of the 33 original entries were named as finalists. Other finalists include entries from Cannondale, Trek, Batavus, Sachs and Sparta. The winner of the Dutch "Bike of the Year" will be announced on Friday 17 March during the opening of the Fiets RAI 2006 show that will take place in Amsterdam.

"Amsterdam is arguably the cycling capital of the world and this nomination is incredibly exciting for us, as it gives extra credence to what we have been trying to achieve over the past 25 years in terms of urban mobility," commented Josh Hon, VP of Sales and Marketing. "The Ciao is the perfect bike for young or old to get around the city in style, comfort and ease. Basically, it's a natural for Bike of the Year."

"The Ciao has received great press and worldwide attention, already having picked up a Silver IF Design Award at Eurobike 2005," added Christopher Hess, Marketing Manager. "Consumer demand for the Ciao is already running hot so a Bike of the Year Award would naturally be a boon for the already popular Ciao."

The 20" Ciao's innovative frame design includes several patented features that allow folding in under 10 seconds. Together with a Dahon Deluxe component package the Ciao is a convenient, compact city folder that is easy to carry onto trains and buses. The Ciao comes standard with a range of accessories including a dynamo hub, Hella light system, SKS fenders and a KlickLix frame bracket that allows mounting of a wide variety of different KlickFix.

The Dahon Ciao P3 is available now. MSRP: €599