The latest data released by ACEM, the Brussels based trade association for the motorcycle industry in Europe, shows a total of 810,986 PTWs and three-wheelers registered during the first seven months of 2015 in the EU - an increase of +3.9 percent over the same period of 2014.
Of those 613,711 units were motorcycles, a +9.6 percent increase over the same period of 2014, with strong growth in most of the EU's primary markets - such as +21.9 percent in Spain (82,194 units); the United Kingdom, +15.6 percent (67,349 units); +8.6 percent in Italy (125,062 units); +6.5 percent in Germany (114,191 units) and, confirming the trend data, France is up at +1.1 percent for the first seven months of the year at 105,43 units.
In total PTW terms the overall performance of the French market is still suffering from the same headwinds being faced for lower cc unit sales in much of Europe, down by - 2.5 percent (156,610) units, but the picture was a little better elsewhere in the EU for the first seven months - with total PTW sales +20.6 percent in Spain, +13.2 percent in the United Kingdom, +5.4 percent in Italy and +0.9 percent in Germany.
Moped sales continue to languish throughout the EU, with sales in July down by around 3 percent and for the year to date down by 10.7 percent, with only Spain showing growth of the major markets, +9.7 percent YTD - France, the UK, Germany and Italy are all down; however, dealers and manufacturers alike will be reassured overall by the strong, regular growth now being seen further up the market's retail price range.
