Aussie market digging in

Official figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show that 22,900 ATVs, motorcycles (road and off-road) and scooters were sold in Australia in the first three months of 2011, just 1.2 percent on the corresponding period last year.

The result reverses the trend from previous years where the first three months have been extremely sluggish, but the concern still remains with the market’s two biggest segments – road and off-road.

Year to date, road sales are down 11.8 percent and off-road has shrunk 6.8 percent, with ATV (up 34.1 percent) and scooter (up 6.4 percent) shouldering the increased workload.

However, the overall result is encouraging, according to FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar.

“It is pleasing that the early signs of a trend in the recovery of new motorcycle sales shown in the last quarter of 2010 have continued into 2011,” Mr McKellar said. “To sell almost 23,000 motorcycles early in any year is a good outcome and there is a degree of optimism that sales will increase over the current year.”

During the first quarter of 2011, Yamaha enjoyed the highest sales with over 4600 units sold, followed by Honda (3821), Suzuki (3100), Kawasaki (2031), Harley-Davidson (1506), KTM (934), Kymco (929), Polaris (822), Triumph (688) and Husqvarna (533).

While Yamaha led the way in ATV and off-road sales, Harley-Davidson and Piaggio came out on top in the road and scooter segments in the first quarter of 2011.

Meanwhile, a number of models have made strong debuts on the market in the first quarter, including the Harley-Davidson XL1200X Sportster Forty-Eight (pictured), which shot straight to No. 2 in road bike sales behind the Kawasaki Ninja 250; the Yamaha YZF-R15; Honda CBR250R; Triumph Tiger 800; and Kawasaki ZX-10R ABS.

Click on the following link to read the summary report.

Click on the following link to read the top 10 bikes in each segment.

In only its third year in the Australian motorcycle market, Kymco is already beginning to replicate the same levels of success enjoyed by the global powerhouse around the world.

During Q1, Kymco increased total sales volume by a staggering 57.6 percent over the same period in 2010, according to results recently released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).

Making this growth even more impressive is the fact that 2010 itself was a record-breaking year for Kymco. This result saw Kymco annex 4.0 percent of the total motorcycle market during Q1,

This Q1 result saw Kymco rise to become the seventh largest motorcycle brand in Australia, only five units short of the No. 6 position.

Posting its best ever scooter result during March, Kymco leapt to a clear lead as the number one scooter brand in the country with a market share just shy of 20 percent. This result reflects growth of 77 percent over Q1 2010 in a market that is only up 6.4 percent. With several new models still to be released over coming months and a range that is the envy of the industry, the Kymco scooter business is showing no signs of slowing down.

“We kicked off this year aiming to become the number one scooter brand in Australia and we are ecstatic at our results so far,” said Kymco Australia & New Zealand Chief Executive Officer, Stuart McLean.

“You only need to take one look at our range, and one look at the pedigree of the Kymco brand, to understand how we’ve achieved this growth and why there is plenty more growing to come.

We provide a scooter range that is stylish, reliable, offers value for money and is backed up by an outstanding dealer network – these factors will continue to underpin our success.”

Not to be outdone, Kymco ATVs also faired well, with its biggest retail month ever in March securing the Taiwanese manufacturer 5.1 percent of the national ATV market for Q1 and 118 percent growth over the same period in 2010.

After just one-and-a-half years in the Australia n ATV market, Kymco ATVs have already established an enviable reputation for their reliability, toughness and after sales support, qualities that will no doubt facilitate even greater growth over the course of 2011.

“Kymco apply a philosophy of ‘simplicity of design- with the correct features’ with their ATV range and this is why many Australian farmers are turning to Kymco to get the job done,” said Mr McLean.

“Not to mention that Kymco’s Research & Development team have spent an abundance of time in Australia to ensure they are manufacturing ATVs that are tailored to suit our very unique conditions Down Under.”
Capping off these outstanding Q1 results, Kymco’s range of < 250cc motorcycles also demonstrated solid growth over the early stages of 2011, establishing the brand as a leader of the learner and lower capacity motorcycle market.

“At Kymco, we work under the principles of integrity, quality, passion and customer service t o drive our business further to meet the needs of local Australians,” said Mr McLean.

“Our brand is becoming more and more recognisable to Australians, who now understand the global power of Kymco, which is the fourth largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world with an annual production capacity of over 700,000 units.

“These results are a reflection of the quality of this brand, the quality of the products and the quality of our people. Watch this space for more growth from Kymco over coming months.”

“The Fly 150 continues to impress with its success” commented Piaggio Sales Manager Gavan Moody. “Not only was it the top selling scooter in the category for the first quarter, it was also the seventh highest selling road bike overall, with an incredible 348 percent increase in sales over last year”!

The ever popular Zip 50 was the second highest selling scooter, and the ninth highest selling road bike overall, and the LX50 also made it into the top 10 in eighth position.

“Increased petrol prices would have no doubt contributed to the upswing in scooter sales, but at the end of the day consumers recognise that when making the lifestyle choice of purchasing a scooter, they are far better off with a premium brand such as Piaggio/Vespa, which will not only provide peace of mind, and excellent resale value, but many years of trouble free scootering.”

SUZUKI
Suzuki Motorcycles has posted promising results for the first quarter of this year, recording a positive sales growth of 1.2 percent when compared to the same sales period in 2010.

Furthermore, Suzuki continued to retain a number of top positions with best selling models and featured prominently in the majority of sales categories.

The first quarter sales figures for 2011 recently released by the FCAI show that 23,031 motorcycles, scooters and ATVs were sold in the period 1 January to 31 March, 2011, a decline of 1.2 percent when compared to the same period last year.

"These figures achieved by Suzuki are very pleasing as they indicate that there may be confidence returning to the market in 2011 and we hope to see this trend continue," Perry Morison, General Manager, Motorcycles, Suzuki Australia said.

"Suzuki's ongoing commitment to delivering ground-breaking, value-packed products has helped with this result, and considering the recent devastating natural disasters, both here and in Japan, where most Suzuki products are produced, the results are even more pleasing.

"Our ATV sales were up significantly on last year, with an increase of 15.7 percent, primarily due to the expansion of the KingQuad range with the introduction of two new models - the KingQuad 500AXi and KingQuad 400ASi - as well as the continued acceptance of power steer models by farmers.

"Bucking the industry trend, were our off-road motorcycles which posted an 11.1 percent sales increase. Of particular note are the solid performances of our motocross models and the DR-Z400E and DR650SE which claimed No. 1 positions in the enduro and trail categories respectively.

"Capping off a strong first quarter for Suzuki was the impressive performance of our GSX-R brand, particularly the GSX-R600 and GSX-R750 with the recent landing of the all-new 2011 models increasing the sales of these powerhouses significantly."

Fresh off claiming the 2010 Australian Supersport Championship, the GSX-R600 was the best selling 600cc sportsbike overall, while the GSX-R750 and GSX-R1000 also featured prominently in the Supersport category.

Another successful segment for Suzuki in the first quarter was sports touring, where the versatile GSX650F claimed equal first place and Suzuki occupied five out of the top 10 positions.

A star performer for Suzuki in 2011 continues to be the DR-Z400E, which retained No. 1 spot in the enduro category and recorded a 14 percent sales increase on the same period on 2010 making it the fourth best-selling motorcycle so far this year overall.

Also featuring in the enduro category for the first time is the Suzuki DR-Z250, which has cracked the top ten with significant positive growth over last year, a notable sales performance considering it is competing amongst higher capacity models.

Motocross champions, the Suzuki RM-Z450 and the RM-Z250 both recorded impressive numbers over the past three months, with the RM-Z450 claiming a 29.7 percent increase in sales.

Cruiser sales were aided by a solid supply of 2011 Boulevards and the recent introduction of the Boulevard C50T, expanding the range to eight value-packed, head-turning machines.

Suzuki is expecting to maintain a strong second quarter with its competitive pricing and retail campaigns aided by the finance options provided by Suzuki Finance, with the financial partnership with GE Money soon to enter its second year.

YAMAHA
Yamaha Motor Australia has topped the first quarter retail figures and leads the MC and ATV sales charge in 2011.

The blue brand has a healthy 18.8 percent motorcycle market share from Jan to Mar compared to Honda’s 14.8.

ATV retails are equally bouyant with Yamaha again at the top of the pile with 25.2 percent share against second placed Honda at 23.8.

Yamaha continues to dominate the off-road sector with sales of YZF motocross bikes once again ruling the roost. Other standout models include the newly released YZF-R15 which comes straight in at No. 3 in its class, and the learner legal FZ6R which tops the sports touring category.

Yamaha continues to dominate the fun bike sector occupying five of the top six best selling spots including first and second place with PW50 and TT-R50E.

Special mention also goes to TT-R250, which is currently Australia’s best selling 250cc enduro bike, and the AG200 which is the most popular farm bike. Both have both posted large retail increases.

In the cruiser sector, Yamaha’s XV650/A continues to appeal to a wide range of riders with its low seat height and leaner approval status.

“Offering a great product at the right price is a given but it’s no longer good enough to post strong retail results,” ,” said Yamaha Motor Australia’s Director/General Manager Steven Cotterell. “YMA strives to offer more and one of the main reasons for our increased market share is the strong business partnership we share with our dealer network

“Business initiatives such as restocking bonus, profit retention scheme and comprehensive promotional packages place our dealer network at a competititve advantage and mean they can offer more to our customers

“The great news is that the market looks to be expanding, and Yamaha is in the ideal position to capitalise on market growth. The first quarter figures suggest that we are heading in the right direction. The product is excellent, the systems are in place, and our dealers are firing on all cylinders.”