It may have a lot to do with Euro 3 carry-over inventory being pre-registered in December, but according to the latest statistics released by the motorcycle industry trade association in Poland (PZPM), the number of new motorcycles registered there in December was up by +158 percent at a largest-month-of-the-year 5,129 units, to see the annual figure show a Poland with a misleadingly strong return to growth for the year – some 25,844 new motorcycles.
In fact, based on the slow sales trend seen on October and November, the likely real figure was around 21,000 units for a market down, in new motorcycle registration terms at least, by around 6 percent year-on-year; though that only translates to some 2,500 units less than in 2016.
New moped sales were down in November and December again, as they have been all year in Poland; but market decline in Poland appears to have continued to lessen as the year has gone on, with the moped market being -21.48 percent for the period January to December 2016 at 23,980 units, compared to 30,427 in 2015.
In terms of total new PTWs (mopeds, motorcycles and other units combined), sales were theoretically up in December due to that Euro 3 carry-over inventory issue, but at -8.40 percent for the year (49,734 new units in total) the market ended the year with the decline at its lowest level of the year.
However, new model registrations are only part of the story where the Polish market is concerned. Poland is an important market for pre-owned vehicles – and they provide valuable service, maintenance and PG&A income for Poland’s authorised and independent motorcycle shops and the vendors they buy from.
New and used motorcycle registrations combined were up by +1.43 percent for the year at 83,298 units. Though the carry-over inventory registrations have distorted the comparisons for now, as registered units that are already in the country, they won’t show up a second time in the pre-owned first registration statistical cycle.
The total number of new and used/first registered PTWs of all kinds, including the pre-registrations of carry-over Euro 3 inventory in Poland, was down by -6.49 percent at 117,309 units for the year; this rate of decline again being the lowest of the year.
Comparisons with Europe's other major markets are difficult, because this is the only large market in Europe where imported used vehicles are recorded in such numbers – but they are mostly higher value, larger displacement machines, so their importance to the parts, accessory and service items/workshop revenue markets in Poland should not be underestimated.
In fact, we can say that Poland is the EU’s 9th largest market for new motorcycle registrations and the 7th largest total new PTW market, according to ACEM statistics.
