ACEM - 'Big Five' market registrations -3.3% January to September
ACEM, the Brussels based international motorcycle industry trade association, says that motorcycle registrations in the five largest European markets reached 708,503 units between January and September 2020.
This represents a decrease of 'only' -3.3% for the five main markets compared to the first nine months of 2019. The 'Big Five (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) account for around 80% of the EU/UK combined motorcycle market registrations total.
"The current registration trends in the motorcycle segment, however, show an improvement in comparison to the first six months of the year, when motorcycle registrations in the main European markets had fallen on average by -17%. This was due to the paralysis of commercial activity, caused by the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus".
The moped segment looks in better shape, with registrations in the largest European markets (i.e. Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain) reaching a total of 205,688 units during the first nine months of 2020. This represents an increase of +6.4% in comparison to the same period of 2019.
Commenting on the current situation of the sector, Antonio Perlot, ACEM Secretary General, said: "The registration figures for the first nine months of the year show that the sector is slowly starting to recover from the very difficult months of March and April 2020. The situation remains delicate, and the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 outbreak is not over yet.
"That said, there are reasons to be optimistic. The recent decision by the EU institutions to extend the cut-off deadline for selling Euro 4 models until 31st of December 2021 will certainly help the motorcycle industry to better cope with this crisis.
"Also, the COVID-19 crisis creates opportunities for policy-makers to rethink about local transport policy. The crisis has clearly shown that overreliance on public transport can create vulnerabilities in cities' transport systems.
"A better, preferable approach would be to find a balance between different transport modes. Better integration of two-wheelers in the transport mix, for example, can reduce the present risks of operating public transport networks at full capacity."
www.acem.eu
