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BMW Motorcycle Production Q3 2009 and Year to Date

November 3, 2009 - BMW released their Q3 financial report today and we compiled the following information reported for the BMW Motorrad division.

The report states: "International motorcycle markets remain weak. The negative trend on international motorcycle markets continued throughout the third quarter 2009.

As a consequence, the 500 cc plus motorcycles segment relevant for the BMW Group contracted sharply (by 31.5 %) during the period from January to September 2009.

Motorcycle sales were down in all European markets, resulting in an overall drop of 21.9 % for the nine-month period.  While markets in France (– 10.0 %) and the United Kingdom (– 8.9 %) experienced a relatively moderate decline, the decreases registered in Germany (– 15.5 %), Italy (– 22.5 %) and Spain (– 58.3 %) were substantial.

Motorcycle sales in the USA were down by 43.0 % for the nine-month period.  In Japan, the market for 500 cc plus motorcycles contracted by 15.2 %.

BMW Q3 Motorcycle Sales Down
The BMW Group sold 22,741 motorcycles worldwide during the third quarter 2009, down 8.4 % on the previous year.  The sales volume for the nine-month period fell by 13.7 %
to 69,715 units.

In total, 48,969 BMW motorcycles were sold in Europe during the period from January to September 2009, a decrease of 17.4 %.  Although sales volume reductions were recorded in a number of European countries, the BMW Group was able to gain market share as the contraction of the market as a whole was even greater.

The nine-month sales figure for Germany was 11,613 units, down by 20.8 % on the previous year.  Similarly, last year’s nine month sales performance was not matched either in Spain (4,874 units / – 35.8 %) or in France (5,511 units / – 18.6 %).

In contrast, the BMW Group sold 5,026 units in the United Kingdom, 6.9 % more than in the corresponding nine-month period last year.  Despite the dramatic contraction of the US market by almost one half, a total of 7,556 BMW motorcycles were handed over to customers during the nine-month period under report (– 10.5 %).

In a contrasting trend, the sales volume figure of 1,645 motorcycles achieved in Canada
corresponded to an increase of 13.4 %, even though the overall market suffered a similar sharp drop.  With 2,082 units sold, the decrease in the nine-month sales volume in Japan was a moderate 4.4 %.

Motorcycle Production Adjusted to Demand
As a reaction to declining sales volumes in the wake of the economic situation, motorcycle production volumes at the Berlin plant were reduced selectively, both in the third quarter and over the nine-month period.

The BMW Group manufactured 15,646 BMW motorcycles during the period from July to September 2009, 32.8 % fewer than in the third quarter 2008.  A total of 65,909 motorcycles came off the production lines during the first nine months of the year, a
reduction of 21.4 %. 

Revenues and Earnings for BMW Motorcycles Decrease
The lower sales volume performance is also reflected in the revenues and earnings of the Motorcycles segment.  Third-quarter revenues of € 239 million were 11.8 %
down on the previous year. 

Revenues for the nine-month period amounted to € 865 million (– 14.2 %).  Third-quarter
EBIT increased by 40.0 % to a loss of € 3 million while third-quarter loss before tax was at € 5 million (+ 28.6 %).  The nine-month EBIT came in at euro 51 million (– 41.4 %) and the profit before tax at € 45 million (– 43.8 %).

BMW Motorcycle Segment Workforce Below 2008 Levels
The BMW Group employed a workforce of 2,897 people in the motorcycles segment on September 30, 2009 which is 4.1 % fewer than one year earlier.

BMW Motorcycle Sales Report, Q3 2009

Japanese Motorcycle Production 1993 to 2008

We compiled this interesting graph based on data from the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA).  Here is a large (800px) version (JavaScript Window).

Note that the sea blue line indicates the total production of over 50cc motorcycles and is not added to the red total line.  The red total line is the sum of the straw, violet, light blue and green lines.

Data for the Graph Shown Above

Japan Motorcycle Production for August 2009

The Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) reported that the number of motorcycles produced during August 2009 was recorded as 38,312 units.  This compares to 76,487 units recorded August of 2008, so the 2009 figure is a decrease of 38,175 units or 49.9%.

Japanese motorcycle manufacturers have now recorded production decreases on the same month of the previous year for twenty four consecutive months.

Japanese Motorcycle Production Data for August 2009
Number of Motorcycles Produced

Number of Motorcycle Domestic Sales
Domestic sales (factory shipment) in August 2009 stood at 30,045 units, a decrease of 41.7% as compared with the same month of the previous year.

Exports stood at 45.9% as compared with the same month of the previous year.

See Also:  Japanese Motorcycle Production for Q1-Q2 (Below)

Q3 U.S. Motorcycle Sales

October 20, 2009 - Our sources tell us that U.S. motorcycle sales remain dismal, now 3/4 of the way through 2009.  The first 9 months of the year indicate dual-sport sales are down 44%; street bike sales are down 44%; off-road motorcycle sales down 33%; scooter sales down a whopping 62% from the big sales rise in 2008 due to high fuel costs. 

Sum it up and motorcycle sales totaled just 434,370 so far this year, down from 771,950 in the first 9 months of 2008 for a drop of 337,580, which makes overall sales down 44%.

See Also:  U.S. Q2 Motorcycle Sales Report and U.S. Q1 Motorcycle Sales Report (Both Below)

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Worldwide Motorcycle Demand to Increase Through 2013

September 2009 - Worldwide demand for motorcycles will grow at a rate of approximately 8% per year for the next 5 years.  This is according to The Freedonia Group, Inc., a "leading international industry market research company that provides its clients with information and analysis needed to make informed strategic decisions for their businesses.

They recently released a $5,700.00 USD detailed study with country-by-country data on motorcycle growth.  Who buys a $5,700 report on this topic is puzzling, but the press information they released had some interesting tidbits. 

They say that "normal" motorcycles with internal combustion engines will still remain the primary type sold, but electric motorcycle sales will grow.  Also, motorcycle sales in Africa, the Middle East and the Asia/Pacific markets will experience the fastest growth levels.

This makes sense, as motorcycles have traditionally been a relatively inexpensive form of transportation in emerging economies for the last 100 years or so.

They also said that electric motorcycles are already very popular in China, a country which they say will account for 55 percent of all additional motorcycle sales worldwide through 2013, but traditional motorcycles will account for about 95% of sales elsewhere.  Finally, there are still some underserved markets that will experience high growth levels; countries like Nigeria, Philippines and Vietnam.

Japan Motorcycle Production for January - June 2009

The Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) reported their statistics on the number of motorcycles produced during the first half of the 2009 calendar year.

360,981 units were reported, compared with 593,384 units recorded for the previous year during the same time period.  This is a decrease of 232,403 units or 39.2%, and it represents a production decrease for three consecutive years.

Number of Motorcycle Domestic Sales
Domestic Japanese sales (factory shipment) for the first half of the 2009 calendar yearstood at 205,678 units, a decrease of 22.2 %.

Exports (result) stood at 64.6% as compared with the previous year.

Q2 U.S. Motorcycle Sales

The numbers aren't looking good for the first six months of 2009 compared to the same time period in 2008.  Sources tell us that street bike sales for the first two quarters of the 2009 year so far totaled 212,130, down 46% from the same time period in 2008.  Dual sport sales are down 47%; off-road motorcycle sales down 37% and scooter sales are down a whopping 67% from the first 6 months of 2008.

Meanwhile, some numbers from Japan indicate motorcycle production in May 2009 was down 28,445 units or 40.9% of the May 2008 number of 69,626 units produced.  Motorcycle exports from Japan in May 2009 totaled 33,845 units, down 28,203 units or 45.5% of May 2008 figure of 62,048 units.

Just for comparison, Japanese automobile exports in May 2009 were 233,217 units, down 295,400 units or 55.9% from the May 2008 figure of 528,617 units.

Factoid: BMW Motorcycle Production in 2008

April 22, 2009 - The BMW Group today reported that 101,964 motorcycles were produced in the Berlin plant in 2008, ranking 8 for total output of the 24 BMW manufacturing facilities located in 13 countries.  2,000 BMW associates are employed at the plant (51 motorcycles per employee).

The Husqvarna Motorcycles S.r.l. manufacturing plant in Cassinetta di Biandronno, Italy produced 14,232 motorcycles with 268 employees (53 per employee).

Just for comparison, the #1 ranked plant for total number of vehicles produced was the BMW Munich plant, which produces the BMW 3 Series Sedan, Touring and engines.  That plant has 8,000 employees and 2008 production was 202,992 automobiles and 131,254 engines.

U.S. Q1 2009 Motorcycle Sales

April 21, 2009 - First quarter 2009 motorcycle sales have been bleak in all categories according to various sources.

Total sales year to date, from January to March of 2009 were reported as 120,794 compared to 173,922 in Q1 of 2008.  This is a decrease of 53,128 or almost 32%.

Street bike sales were down approximately 27%, while dual-sport sales, which had some strength even in the weak market, were down 24.0%.  Sales of off-road motorcycles were down 40% and scooter sales were down 37%.

Here's a press release from the Motorcycle Industry Council, dated April 23, 2009:

The economy affected U.S. sales of new motorcycles in the first quarter of 2009, down a total of 30.5 percent, compared to the same period last year, among 12 of the leading brands.

Generally affordable, fuel-efficient dual-purpose motorcycles declined the least, by 24 percent.  The off-highway market went down the most, by 39.7 percent, some of which is linked to the government's ban on youth models due to a controversial new law regarding lead content in consumer products.

"There are still many customers wanting new motorcycles, both veteran riders and those wanting to join in the fun and gain the benefits," said Tim Buche, President of the Motorcycle Industry Council.

"But, in reaction to the economy, there have been some production cuts.  And the lead ban turned many parents away from buying new dirt bikes for their kids.  There's a need for wholesale financing to help keep dealerships supplied with inventory, and a need for consumer credit to loosen up so that dealerships can get those new bikes out on the roads and on the trails.  It's very hard to get retail financing now, even if you have good credit."

The early year sales decline follows a relatively flat year for motorcycles.  The MIC's preliminary estimate for all motorcycles and scooters sold nationwide in 2008 is 1,087,000, down just 3.3 percent compared to 2007.

Sales still topped the one-million mark, and did so for the sixth straight year.  That beat the longest run of million-plus sales ever recorded by the MIC, during the five years from 1970 to 1974.

Also, scooter sales last year reached their highest annual level ever, currently estimated at 222,000.  Among the major brands, scooter sales through the first quarter of 2009 were down 36.7 percent compared to the first three months of 2008.  The on-highway market declined by 27.3 percent.

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U.S. Motorcycle Sales, 1992 - 2008

January 30, 2009 - I updated our chart showing U.S. motorcycle sales figures, which now covers 1992 to 2008.  These are gross numbers, including motorcycles (street bike, dual-sport and off-road) and scooters.  The numbers were compiled from various public sources but most of the sources probably trace back to the Motorcycle Industry Council, who tracks motorcycle sales in the U.S.A.

Note, however, that if a motorcycle manufacturer isn't an MIC member, their sales may not be reflected in these numbers.  But overall, this is about as good of an indication as you will find.

Here are the gross sales figures for 2008 and a comparison to 2007:

Japanese Motorcycle Manufacturing Totals for 2008

Motorcycle production in December 2008 was recorded as 112,024 units or -10.6 compared with the total recorded for the same month of the previous year.  This is a production decrease on the same month of the previous year for sixteen consecutive months.

Motorcycle production for calendar year 2008 (January - December) was recorded as 1,226,839 units, -26.8% compared with the units total recorded for the previous year.  This is the third consecutive year of production decreases over the previous year.

Source: JAMA, January 2009

Selected Worldwide Motorcycle Statistics

Interesting motorcycle ownership and use graphs and charts courtesy of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.

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