Most motorcycle manufacturers are reporting unit sales increases and improved profits for 2025 and 2026 YTD
The last edition of International Dealer News was published in April so here we present a roundup of OE manufacturer full year and most recent quarter financial data. Taken with the 'Stat-ZONE' national trade association data on pages 6 & 7 it forms a unique international motorcycle industry reporting service. Some OEM fiscal data (e.g. Hero, Stark and others) also appears in our Briefs news columns. This reporting is mostly based on the manufacturer's own published reported data. The nature of the details released (and their reporting cycles) varies from company to company and, especially in the case of the Japanese 'Big-4', takes a global perspective. European data has been incorporated where possible and we have added information from some additional sources where possible.
For its Q1 2026 (January to March), Yamaha reports that "nearly all its business segments saw higher sales "with marked growth in the motorcycle business".
In corporate terms, President, CEO and Representative Director Motofumi Shitara is quoted as saying that "the strong sales we saw in nearly all of our businesses, particularly in the motorcycle business, led to higher overall revenue, while we also recorded higher profits thanks to those higher sales, appropriate cost controls, and exchange rates working in our favour. This was despite the impact of U.S. tariffs and rising raw material prices.
"At the moment, we expect lower tariff-related expenses following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against reciprocal tariffs as unconstitutional and from our main products being given exceptions from iron and aluminum tariffs. On the other hand, rising raw material prices and the impact of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East continue to leave the business environment uncertain."
In its Land Mobility Business, which is primarily its motorcycle activity, revenues were 479.9 bn yen (an increase of 91.9 bn yen or 23.7% compared with the same period in the previous fiscal year). Operating income was 49.0 bn yen (an increase of 21.2 bn yen or 76.3%).
"Motorcycle unit sales in developed markets grew overall thanks to demand growth in Europe and the U.S., which offset declining sales in Japan. In emerging markets Vietnam made a return to normal operations after the production and shipment suspensions that occurred last year. Emerging market unit sales grew overall with higher numbers recorded primarily in Thailand, India, and the Philippines. As a result, the Company recorded higher revenues that, combined with advantageous foreign exchange effects, led to higher profits for the period.
Yamaha does not report regional unit sales data, but 'Motorcycles Data' reports that it sold 4.8 million PTWs globally for its 2025 fiscal year (ending December 31, 2025) which was "essentially flat" compared to 2024.
 |
Yamaha has again scooped a Red Dot design award in the design Concept category (2026) for its MOTOROiD: Λ (lambda) iteration. It is now ten years since Yamaha picked up its first such award since the debut of 'Andy 01' in 2017 - the progenitor of the Android series. This latest version is described as a proof of concept model, and is designed to learn autonomously as Yamaha continues to "explore new possibilities for human-machine relationships". "This vision is realised through three key elements: AI-based reinforcement learning, a design and colours that embrace even failure as a value, and a chassis engineered to enable movements that go beyond imagination. Through MOTOROiD: Λ, Yamaha Motor is proposing a new perspective on durable goods in which products gain greater value over time through long-term companionship. |
