Global motorcycle market worth $120b by 2018

The worldwide motorcycle market is forecast to expand six per cent per annum to over 132 million units in 2018, with the value put at $120 billion. Major trends that will drive growth through 2018, including an increasing number of households in emerging countries being able to afford motorcycles as personal incomes rise.

Sales of electric bicycles and other electric models are also projected to rise sharply outside China from what are currently quite modest levels of demand.

Motorcycle sales in a number of countries will be also spurred by government programs aimed at reducing environmental pollution caused by cars.
Market advances will accelerate in a number of markets such as Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, America, and Vietnam.

However, the report says that further gains will be restrained by slowing growth in China, the world's leading market for motorcycles, because of the large number of motorcycles already in use there.

The Asia/Pacific region is by far the largest regional market. The report says that motorcycles are viewed as a convenient alternative to public transportation, which is often unreliable and has issues with overcrowding. As living standards in the area continue to improve, an increasing number of households will be able to afford motorcycles. Among the nations recording the fastest growth will be Pakistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Burma, Malaysia, and Thailand.

While North America and Western Europe represented only three per cent of the worldwide motorcycle market in unit terms in 2013, these regions accounted for 16 per cent of all product demand in value terms because of the popularity of medium and heavy motorcycles and other higher priced models.

Both Western Europe and North America are projected to register rapid growth through 2018, as sales of electric models increase sharply and demand for internal combustion engine motorcycles rebounds from the large declines posted in recent years.