Having been -94.43% for April (841 units) and -43.68% for May (10,152 units), the latest new motorcycle registration numbers from ANESDOR, the motorcycle industry trade association in Spain, show dramatically continuing signs of improvement.
Total new motorcycle registrations in June were up by +13.03% (compared to June 2019) at 21,057 new units and are now running at 'just' -26.31% for the YTD (65,247 units, compared to 88,540 for the same period last year).
Like most of Europe, after a good start to the year in January and February (+11.96% and +19.28% respectively) registrations in Spain fell off a cliff at -46.64%, -94.43% and -43.68% respectively in March, April and May.
Total PTW registrations for June were up by +10.08 (22,501 units), having been -43.85% in May at 10,972 units (compared to 19,542 units in May 2019). For the YTD, PTW registrations are -25.37% at 72,599 units. In Spain the best months for new registrations are generally May, June and July, which in 2019 accounted for some 62,000 of the annual total of 194,663 units (+12.17% from 173,545 units in 2018).
Following his participation in a transport industry-wide initiative in Spain that called for government help for the sector, Jose Maria Riano, General Secretary of ANESDOR, stated that "the commitment by the government to invest in the recovery of the Spanish automotive industry is very important for the sector."
The Spanish government has confirmed that a system of grants (as opposed to loans) is being made available. Riano went on to say that "it is necessary that these grants are carried out efficiently. With regard to the two wheels sector specifically, this means that the measures should address the particular circumstances of the motorcycle market, which in many respects are quite different to those of passenger cars."
Speaking to the June numbers, Riano said "despite the economic crisis, in the scenario of the 'new normal', Spanish citizens are betting on personal light vehicles. The trend existed before COVID-19, and seeing it re-emerge allows us to be moderately optimistic for the future."
The Spanish government has included motorcycles (PTWs of all types) in its RENOVE 2020 plan - providing € 5m in aid for the purchase of motorcycles (electric and road legal ICE) with a tax base price of less than € 8,000.
Riano went on to say that "the inclusion of the motorcycle sector in RENOVE will contribute to recovering the sector after the historic lows. In addition, this boost will provide support to promote more efficient, sustainable and safe vehicles. An important initiative factor considering that the average age of motorcycles in Spain is 16.4 years old."
The top selling motorcycle above 125 cc in Spain is the Kawasaki Z900 (1,546 units YTD); Honda remains market leader in total PTW terms (18.9% share, 12,354 units sold), with Yamaha second and Kymco third. The Yamaha NMAX 125 was the top selling model overall in Spain in June (961 units), and YTD the top seller so far is the Kymco Agility City 125 (2,630 units sold).
