So I'm gearing up for a quick trip to the ABC Kids Expo this weekend in Las Vegas. Last year at ABC, I realized that a whole host of the flashy, new stroller brands popping up in the US were ABC: Actually By China, meaning that a large part of the product design, not just the manufacturing, was carried out in China, which provided a big headstart for lean, local start-ups to tailor and tweak strollers to each country's market.
[Was it really only a year ago that moving everything to China seemed kind of cool?]
Anyway, one high-profile entrant to the US market which is touting its European Styling is Mia Moda. The "Unique Compact Fold" of their Cielo won the Innovation Award at the last ever JPMA Show. The Cielo fold is definitely compact, but unique? Not so much.
A sharp-eyed DT reader Jmommie spotted the Cielo--or more accurately, the Chinese ur-Cielo--on the German stroller company ABC Design's website, where it's known as the Takeoff.
This isn't the first time ABC Design, an old-line German strollermaker, has been spotted importing whole models from China. They share a model with Uppababy, too. Last one designing Euro-style strollers in Europe, please turn out the light.
Takeoff by [sic] ABC-Design [abc-design.de via jmommie]
Previously: Mia Moda: Kickin' it Euro-Style
Whassa Uppa with Uppa Baby?
this is how we roll: in Chinese strollers
Chad and I ended up with a Cielo for our daughter. My mother gave it to us as a gift. It's a nice stroller, but we're not completely in love. The folding mechanism is nice, but doesn't always want to stay in that neat, folded square when you're carrying the thing. Ours at least, tends to pop open. You have to repeatedly press it back together until it catches again. Our girl is a fairly small kid, but by about 14mos she was already looking big in the cielo. It does steer well one-handed, and I like the open seat design. On a recent daytrip to DC though, I was wishing we'd just brought the frog. The cielo wheels are not a joy on torn-up sidewalk.
I have the Cielo and we really like it. It is inexpensive, maneuvers well and is pretty darn cute. There are definitely flaws with the fold sometimes, not one hand at all and this stroller barely reclines, so it is not so great for a day trip. Our daughter loves sitting in this stroller which we call the push chair, because it is more like a chair. The first Cielo we ordered would not unfold without some diconcerting loud popping noises. I called the online store where I purchased the stroller and they were not so great with the problem. I then called Mia Moda and they were awesome. They ended up sending me a new one, letting me keep the old one (which still works, just not as easy to fold). I have one at grandman's and one for my husbands car.
I have the Mia Moda Terra stroller and matching infant seat. They are ok - the design is rather nice, but the quality of workmanship is not so great. One of the rear wheel hubs started to loosen from the frame, causing the wheel to slant. I contacted Mia Moda, which sent me a new stroller (and also didn't ask for the old one back). The new stroller has issues as well - it wants to fold up on it's own. I think Mia Moda has the right idea, but the execution could be much better.