Motorcycles sales slump in first quarter
The start of 2019 hasn’t been kind to motorcycle manufacturers and retailers, with sales plummeting by nearly 15 per centNew motorcycle sales in Australia followed a similar script to the car market in the first quarter of 2019, with 18,428 units sold from January to March compared to 21,599 for the same period in 2018.
This represents a 14.6 per cent decline for the market – ATVs, off-road, road and scooters – in the first quarter, with all categories except scooters affected by the downturn.
ATV took the biggest percentage hit, down by 23.7 per cent, while off-road and road were 9.3 per cent and 19.2 per cent in the red.
Scooters grew by 29.6 per cent, continuing an upward trend that really started to gain traction in 2018.
Of the 17 marques which are official members of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries – and hence included in the sales figures – only two eclipsed their performances in the first quarter of 2018: BRP and Vespa.
The biggest sellers in the four categories were Polaris (ATV), Yamaha (off-road), Harley-Davidson (road) and Honda (scooter).
Honda was the overall leader with a 21.8 per cent share of the national market, followed by Yamaha with 20.8 per cent and Kawasaki with 11.8 per cent. Then it’s Suzuki followed by Harley-Davidson, KTM, Polaris, BMW, Triumph and BRP.
Non-FCAI members not included in the figures include Royal Enfield, Kymco, MV Agusta, Gas Gas, Benelli, CFMoto and Sherco. Those omissions are thought to represent around 10 per cent of the total Australian market.
The full summary report is as follows:
Individual honours
Normal service has resumed for Honda CRF50F, which has continued its reign as the biggest selling bike in Australia, with the balance of the top 10 a combination of fun bikes and LAMS tackle – Yamaha’s MT-09 naked the exception.
The Yamaha WR450F was second overall, followed by the Honda CB125E, Kawasaki KLX110, Yamaha MT-07L, Honda NSC110, Kawasaki Ninja 400, Yamaha PW50, Honda CRF230F and MT-09.
The biggest sellers in the balance of the categories were:
• ATV: Polaris Sportsman 570
• Scooter: Honda NSC110
• LAMS: Yamaha WR450F
• Road: CB125E
• Adventure touring: Suzuki DR650SE
• Cruiser: Harley-Davidson Breakout 114
• Naked: CB125E
• Sports touring: Yamaha YZF-R3
• Supersport: Kawasaki Ninja 400
• Touring: Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special
• Off-road: Honda CRF50F
• Farm: Honda XR190
• Fun: Honda CRF50F
• Trail: Honda CRF230F
• Off-road four-wheel: Polaris Ace 500
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