For their financial year from April 2014 to March 31st 2015, net sales in Suzuki's motorcycle business decreased by ¥16.1 billion (6.0%) to ¥250.5 billion - mainly due to reduced sales in Asia, according to the company.
Motorcycle operating income of ¥0.1 billion in the previous fiscal year became an operating loss of ¥0.7 billion.
Suzuki's total worldwide production of motorcycles and ATVs was down by -11.2 percent at 1,799,000 units (from 2,033,000 in 2013/2014). Domestic Japanese production was 154,000 units (-14.7 percent) with exports of those machines -17.6 percent at 105,000 units from 127,000 in 2013/2014.
Total unit sales (including 22,000 ATVs) are reported -12.8 percent for 2014/2015 at 1,763,000 from 2,022,000 in 2013/2014.
Sales in Europe were 45,000 units, -5.3 percent; but up by +0.9 percent for the first quarter of 2015. In North America sales were - 3.9 percent for the year at 43,000 units; but up by +19 percent for the first three months of 2015. Domestic sales in Suzuki's home market were down -9.5 percent at 67,000 units for the year, with sales there for the first quarter of 2015 year down a massive -23.6 percent.
Addressing its clear need for what Suzuki itself is calling a "reconstruction" of its motorcycle business, the company says that it intends to "review its omni-directional business strategy and take aggressive steps such as selecting and concentrating the region, product and technology, strengthening its marketing capability, shortening its development period, introducing its products in a timely manner and challenging to implement state-of-the-art technology and design, among others, thereby offering value that exceeds customers’ expectations".
The company went on to say that by doing so they will be "aiming at recovering its presence in the motorcycle market".
