Germany: motorcycles -7.22% for 2022
While ACEM's registration statistics for Europe as a whole showed 2022 to be "essentially flat" at +0.1% for the 'Big Five' markets (see front cover story and chart), the latest data from the IVM - the motorcycle industry trade association in Germany - showed new motorcycle registrations there down by -19.94% in December (2,960 units) and down by -7.22% for the full year at 107,992 units.
The current year started strongly in Germany with some good results, but, as predicted by IDN, a downward trend has set in from May and, excepting for an anomalous +16.93% in November (on low volume), registration numbers have been negative ever since. This is the lowest German market annual motorcycle registrations number since 2016.
In total PTW terms, the German market is essentially flat with new registrations for the full year at +0.69% (201, 433 units), up on 2019, essentially level with 2021, but down on the 218,778 PTWs registered in 2020.
The B126 licence regulation change has greatly boosted low displacement sales since 2020, especially at 125 cc. With 72,022 newly registered 125 cc vehicles in 2022, the L3e-A1 class achieved its best result in 20 years. Scooters did well too with a 20% increase for 36,613 newly registered units. Light motorcycles were +2.2%/35,409 units.
Larger displacement scooters also grew well at +14.4% (18,179 units). Electric PTWs now have a 4.86% share of the German market (9,632 units). In the entry-level 45 Km/h electric 'fast' mopeds category, total vehicle sales increased by 21.7% to 29,230 units in 202
Zero is electric motorcycle market share leader, but with just 357 units sold for a +32.2% increase, we are talking ultra-low volumes still at this stage. Vmoto was in second place in market share terms, followed by KTM, Tinbot and Electric Motion.
NIU is the electric scooter market share leader (1,390 units/+171.0%), ahead of Scutum, Horwin, BMW and Piaggio.
As expected, the top selling motorcycle in Germany in 2022 was the BMW R 1250 GS with 8,530 units sold for a 7.90% share of the total market - remarkable for a single model - and way ahead of the Kawasaki Z900 in second (3,599 units), followed by the Yamaha MT-07 and Ténéré 700, Honda's CRF 1000 Africa Twin, the Kawasaki Z650, Suzuki SV 650, Honda CB 650 R Neo Sports Café, the KTM 390 Duke, and the Honda CMX 500 Rebel in 10th spot.
With 11 models in the top 50 bestsellers, it is no surprise that BMW is (again) the runaway market share leader in its home market with a 21.27% share (22,973 total units sold YTD). Honda is a distant second with a 10.79% share (11,657 units), followed by Kawasaki (10.49%/11,327 units), Yamaha (8.46%/9,144 units) and KTM fifth (8.31%/8,979 units). The top ten sees Harley-Davidson in sixth place, followed by Ducati, Triumph, Suzuki and Royal Enfield tenth (3.26% share/3,519 units sold).
The Vespa GTS 300 Super owns the internal combustion engine market in Germany with 7,149 units sold (39.33% market share), ahead of the Piaggio MP3 LT HPE in second spot with 771 units sold for a 4.24% share.
