For the second quarter (to 30th September 2017) of its 2017/18 financial year Suzuki has announced worldwide motorcycle sales increased by +18 percent year-on-year at 797,000 units, driven by increases in India, China, Indonesia (despite the market slump there) and other of their emerging markets.
The company is now forecasting that it will sell 1.5 Mn units for its full financial year (a forecast increase of some 96,000 units).
For its first six months, Suzuki says sales revenues from motorcycles were up by +1.5 percent in Japan, and by +26.3 percent in total in all its international markets combined, with Europe +4.5 percent at 24 Bn yen, with North America +5.4 percent and Asia as a whole +15.0 percent.
Driven by sales of the all-new GSX-R1000 in global markets and the GSX-R150 in emerging markets, their motorcycle segment operating loss of ¥0.7 billion in the previous fiscal year improved to an operating income of ¥3.7 billion.
Global production increased by +20.2 percent year-on-year for their first six months of the 2017/18 financial year (793,000 units) – an increase of 133,000 units.
In other news the GSX250R and V-Strom 250 both picked up Good Design Awards, and in September, attended by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Suzuki opened its new Suzuki Motor factory and saw the cornerstone laid for a new Lithium-ion battery plant at Gujarat, India.
