Yamaha's annual results (for its January to December 2014 full financial year) show that its global net sales of motorcycle products were ¥977.6 bn (an increase of ¥49.4 billion/5.3 percent) compared with the same period in the previous fiscal year, with a 174 percent (¥14.6 bn) increase in operating income.
However, its global net motorcycle sales in unit terms actually went down in 2014, by -3.4 percent from 5.65 million bikes in 2013 to 5.39 million in 2014.In developed markets such as North America and Europe unit sales were up by 13 percent overall to 414,000 (from 370,000 in 2013). The higher price and margin in the northern hemisphere compensated for a drop in the income generated by unit sales in less well developed, emerging markets.
In Europe unit sales were up from 162,000 in 2013 to 191,000 in 2014 (+17.9 percent) and up 3,000 units in the United States at 79,000 in 2014.
While sales in some emerging markets, such as India were up (+23 percent), Yamaha sales in the ASEAN region fell (-9%) due to a decrease in overall demand and a drop in product strength.
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| Yamaha's MT series contributed to their massive increase in sales in Europe - to 191,000 units in 2014, nearly 18 percent up on 2013 |
Yamaha say that major new product releases such as the MT-09 and MT-07 boosted 2014 sales in Europe. They expect to see sales start to grow again in the ASEAN markets in 2015 with new models such as the Nozza Grande, Grande Filano, and Mio125 commuters (featuring their next-generation 'Blue Core' air-cooled engine platform).
Yamaha say that income also increased as they benefitted from effect of cost reductions and yen depreciation, which outweighed the effects of currency depreciation in emerging countries and increases in research and development expenditure.
Corporately Yamaha reports net profit of ¥68.5 bn in 2014, up from ¥44.1 bn in 2013. The company is forecasting sales of 6.28m units in total worldwide in 2015, and exceeding ¥1 trillion in worldwide net sales income. Some 25 percent of this income will be generated by the approx 8 percent (500,000) of unit sales that are expected in developed markets.
