In Australia, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI - the trade association that includes motorcycle manufacturers) has released first half year figures for 2020 that show the sale of new motorcycles, All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and Side by Side Vehicles (SSVs) doing very well.
Overall, a total of 52,838 vehicles were sold from January to June 2020, in comparison to 42,457 during the same period in 2019. This represents a strong +24.5% increase in sales, "a bright spot in an economic environment that has been predominantly negative over the past four months," said Tony Weber, Chief Executive of the FCAI.
"It is wonderful to see some strong sales from our member motorcycle brands. A year-on-year increase of +24.5% is significant, and signals improving conditions for both members and dealers."
The most popular segment during the half year was the ATV and SSV segment, with a total of 14,545 sales (+50.91%) compared to 9,638 sales in the first half of 2019. Off-road motorcycles were +42.40% at 20,885 units in the half year, compared to 14,666 in the same period of 2019.
"The ATV and SSV segments are up a remarkable +50.9% and now represent 27.5% of the total market. And off-road bikes are also on fire with an increase of +42.4%, and claiming 39.5% of the total market," Weber said.
Weber thinks that the popularity of these two segments are a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic: "People can't go for overseas holidays, and for quite some time they couldn't even go for holidays within Australia. So, we believe that, instead of spending up big on expensive family vacations, people are treating themselves in different ways - and this could mean they are taking up new sports like trail bike riding.
"ATVs and SSVs are also popular, and we understand that this is due to the Government's instant asset write-off programme, which makes the purchase of farm machinery and equipment very attractive at the present time," Weber said.
Road bikes and scooters did not enjoy the same increase in popularity - road bikes were down -2.7% (15,243 units) and scooters were -12.8% (2,166 units).
Honda claimed the top spot in YTD reporting, 12,563 sales for a 23.8% market share, followed by Yamaha with 12,344 units/23.4% share, Kawasaki 6,545 units/12.4% share, KTM with 4,391 units/8.3% share and Suzuki 3,594 units sold for a 6.8% market share.
Overall the Kawasaki KLX 110 was the top seller (1,259 units), followed by the Honda CRF 110F (1,092 units), the Yamaha PW 50 (1,040 units), Honda CRF 50F, Yamaha WR 450F and TTR 50E, the Kawasaki Ninja 400, the KTM 300 EXC and in 10th spot the Yamaha XTZ 690.
The top selling road bike in Australia January to June 2020 was the Ninja 400, followed by the Yamaha XTZ690 and the H-D XG500. The leading ADV was the Yamaha YTZ690, followed by Suzuki's DR650SE and the BMW R 1250 GS Adventure. Yamaha's MT-07L was the top selling naked style bike, followed by the Honda CB 125E and Yamaha MT-09.
The most popular Sport Tourer was the Yamaha YZF-R3A; Super Sport, the Ninja 400; Off-Roader, the Kawasaki KLX 110, followed by the Honda CRF 110F and Yamaha PW 50; Enduro, the Yamaha WR 450F; MX, the Yamaha YZ250F.
The FCAI has previously stated that motorcycles make perfect sense for commuting within the guidelines of our current pandemic environment. "With mass transit systems susceptible to contagion risk, personal transport has become the go-to option for many commuters. Motorcycle and scooter riders can mitigate infection risks, with two-wheeled transportation offering an effective means of maintaining social distance while enjoying the freedom of a fun ride that shortens journey times and ends with easy parking".F"
