The most recent available new vehicle registration numbers from ACEM - the Brussels based international motorcycle industry trade association - show EU markets off to a good start in 2019, with motorcycle sales (Internal Combustion Engine/ICE and electric motorcycles) up +19.2% at 244,991 units for the first three months of the year.
Germany was second largest with 44,450 units registered for +23.3% growth; followed by France with 43,942 new units registered (+20.0%), Spain 37,255 units (+20.5%) and the UK 25,913 units (+10.3%).
Europe's 'Big Five' markets accounted for 84.24% of new motorcycles registered in Q1 (206,386 units).
The moped market in the EU (Internal Combustion Engine/ICE and electric motorcycles) has been growing by +30.1% in the first quarter (52,715 units), with France the largest market at 17,997 units for +78.2% growth, followed by the Netherlands, which has seen +46.0% growth (13,040 units), and Belgium (4,683 units, +35.4% growth).
The moped sector appears to be seeing growth following the negative effects of the Euro 4 transition, which came a year later than for motorcycles in winter 2017/2018.
E-motorcycle Q1 sales only 2,295 units
Within those figures, the impact of electric models remains modest. The largest E-motorcycle market in the EU in Q1 was France (581 units registered, +58.7%), followed by Germany (504 units, +191.3%), Spain (502 units, +62.5%), Italy (245 units, +67.8%), the Netherlands (150 units, +16.3%) and Austria (116 units, +152.2%). All other EU markets saw less than 100 new electric motorcycles registered in Q1 2019. There were a total of 2,295 electric units registered, a +78.6% increase over 1,285 units in Q1 2018.
Not surprisingly the lower value electric moped market is stronger in Europe in unit terms, with the market overall being +78.3% with 11,258 units registered. The largest single markets are France (3,726 units, +137.3%), Belgium (2,474 units, +81.1%), the Netherlands (2,448 units, +55.5%) and Spain (1,087 units, +18.3%), followed by Italy, Poland, Austria and Finland.
Most of the 'Non-Big Five' EU markets are mostly showing healthy growth rates in Q1. The markets with new ICE motorcycle registrations of 1,000 or more for Q1 are Belgium, 6,519 units (+8.6%); Portugal, 5,818 units (+24.5%); Greece, 5,721 units (+6.3%); Austria, 5,259 units (+33.9%); the Netherlands, 4,225 units (+23.7); Czech Republic, 2,701 units (+41.0%), Sweden, 1,950 units (+35.0%) and Poland, 1,356 units (-35.3% for the three months to March).
The most recently available ACEM Vehicle Fleet ("Bike Park") figures for EU markets show Italy as the largest PTW use market with 8,720,733 units in circulation (2018), followed by Germany, 6,183,690 units (2017); Spain, 5,393,239 units (2018); Poland, 2,754,987 units (2017); France, 2,357,271 units (2016), the Netherlands, 1,705,521 units (2019), Greece, 1,583,491 (2018) and the UK, 1,265,142 units (2018).
With the totals not yet calibrated for all markets for 2017 and 2018, the most recent full year that total Vehicle Park numbers are available for in all EU markets is 2016, with the number at 36,242,922 in total - the highest number on record and up from 36,136,527 in 2015 and 34,406,745 in 2014.
Within a few tens of thousands either way, the Vehicle Fleet figure for EU markets has grown annually ever since 1994 (23,776,115 units). At approximately 36m units, that is thought to represent PTW use, or at least access by, of close to one in every ten EU citizens of riding age. The four countries that comprise the EFTA area outside the EU (Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Iceland) add around an additional 1.3m units (2018) to the European PTWs in use in total.
Commenting on the latest figures, Antonio Perlot, Secretary General of ACEM, said: "The increase in vehicle registrations reflects the overall improving economic conditions across Europe, particularly in the largest EU markets, as well as European citizens’ preference for an enjoyable and convenient means of transport.
"At the same time, given the seasonal nature of motorcycle and moped markets, we will need to wait for the registration figures of late July to assess whether 2019 has been a very good year for our industry."
