Mountain Buggy production moving to China

It’s hardly a surprise, but a big disappointment nonetheless. According to an article from a New Zealand media outlet, phil&teds has made the decision to move Mountain Buggy production from New Zealand to China. But I’ve never met a Chinese-made stroller that comes close to the solid, sturdy feel of the Mountain Buggy.

When our friends from phil&teds visited a few weeks ago, they were alluding to this, saying that many of the components of the strollers were already being made in China. Why should it make a difference if they make the other half of the stroller there as well? It will make a difference if the Chinese factory can’t precisely replicate the frame, a perfectly balanced structure that gives the Mountain Buggy its strength and lightning-quick steering. Until now, those frames were hand-assembled in New Zealand by skilled workers. This move should bring the astronomically high price points for the Mountain Buggy line back down to Earth, but what’s the trade-off?

I’m an optimist. So I’ll hope that the new Mountain Buggy strollers will look and feel the same, cost less, and the quality won’t suffer. But secretly I’m not sure if that’s true. I’ll be very curious to see if phil&teds will have samples of the Chinese production line at the ABC Show next month, or if they’ll be showing the New Zealand made models.

Meanwhile, if you want to own a piece of New Zealand history, we still have some in stock and on sale. Get one before it’s a collector’s item.

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