Germany - YTD motorcycle registrations -26.87%
The latest data from the IVM, the motorcycle industry trade association in Germany, shows new motorcycle registrations for the first two months of 2021 as being -26.87% at 10,017 units; with January having been -50.02% and February -15.75%.
However, the current crop of figures from around Europe are being distorted by the effects of regulation-busting pre-registrations as the market contends with the Euro 4/5 crossover deadline (December 31st, 2020). As seen in much of Europe, 2020 in Germany ended with a rush to pre-register unsold Euro 4 units that do not meet the strict timescale criteria set by the EU for the end of series derogation that had been approved in advance of Euro 5 final implementation.
Worse, much of the good progress made by manufacturers and their dealers in catching up (or even showing growth for the year) following the repeated cycles of pandemic impact in 2020 are now being challenged by the 'Third Wave'.
Total PTW registrations in Germany are put at -33.19% for the first two months (13,446 units), having been -56.33% in January and -21.40% in February.
In motorcycle market share terms, BMW remained leader with an improved share (38.67%/3,874 units). BMW had 10 models in the top twenty best sellers, as reduced numbers of stay-at-home Germans increasingly favoured their home market manufacturer.
Honda was in second spot with a 10.85% (1,087 units); KTM third (10.59%/1,061 units); Kawasaki fourth (7.66%/767 units), with Ducati fifth (5.30%/531 units).
The top selling model was BMW's R 1250 GS (1,400 units), followed by the Kawasaki Z900 (Z650 in 18th spot), the BMW S 1000 XR third and F900 R fourth, and Honda's CRF 1100 Africa Twin fifth.
For the record, 2019 saw the German motorcycle market grow by +4.38% to 113,039 units, with total PTW sales growing by +6.53% to 165,311 units; in 2020 motorcycles were +16.89% (theoretically) at 132,126 units, with total PTW sales said to have grown by +32.34% to 218,778 units.
