Motorcycle Sales Statistics, News and Information

Japan Motorcycle Exports for 2011

February 1, 2012 - Motorcycle Export Data from Japane for the Calendar Year 2011 (January to December 2011) is now available (Source: JAMA).

Number of Motorcycles Exported
Motorcycle exports from Japan for Calendar Year 2011 was recorded as 504,985 units. Compared with the 493,464 units total recorded for the previous year, this is an increase of 11,521 units or 2.3%, an export increase after four years of downturn.

Value of Motorcycles Exported
Total value of motorcycles exported for the calendar year 2011 was $4,698.934 million including $3,185.216 million for vehicles and $1,513.718 million for parts. This is an increase of $284.369 million or 6.4% as compared with $4,414.565 million recorded for the previous year.

Export total achieved a 79.0% share of the total production of 638,987 units recorded for calendar year 2011. (*74.3% for calendar year 2010)

BMW Motorrad USA Reports 2011 Sales Increase

January 13, 2012 - (BMW Motorrad Press Release, Edited by webBikeWorld) - On the heels of BMW Motorrad reporting record global sales in 2011, BMW Motorrad USA posted a 7.4 percent growth in sales in 2011, nearly double the gain posted the previous year.

See this extended report on the 2011 BMW record sales increase.

Sales were fueled by continued demand for BMW Motorrad USA’s best selling model, the S 1000 RR Superbike, as well as for the popular core models R 1200 RT, R 1200 GS and R 1200 GS Adventure and the all-new six-cylinder K 1600 GTL and K 1600 GT.

The company credits their sales performance to improved market conditions, a broad, continually enhanced model lineup and a strong dealer network.

"BMW had successfully weathered the downturn in the motorcycle market in recent years" commented Mac McMath, National Sales Manager, BMW Motorrad USA. "Now, with market conditions improving and the arrival of new and updated models, we are poised for continued success in 2012."

For model year 2012, BMW Motorrad USA is offering the all-new dual-sport G 650 GS Sertão (report), model updates for the F 800 R and S 1000 RR superbike, the K 1300 S and K 1300 S HP Limited Edition and the Special Edition R 1200 GS Rallye. All of these models are currently available at BMW retailers nationwide.

More information on these motorcycles is available on the wBW BMW Motorcycles page.

Harley-Davidson Reports 2011 Sales Increase

January 26, 2012 - (H-D Press Release, Edited by webBikeWorld) - Harley-Davidson reported that worldwide retail new motorcycle sales rose 10.9% in the fourth quarter of 2011. Sales rose 5.9% overall in 2011, while overall company earnings doubled.

Harley-Davidson reported a strong finish to 2011, with improved fourth-quarter performance capping a year of earnings and dealer retail sales growth. Retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles grew 10.9% worldwide in the fourth quarter compared to the prior-year period, including an 11.8% increase in the U.S.

For the full year 2011, new Harley-Davidson motorcycle retail sales rose 5.9% worldwide and 5.8% in the U.S. On a worldwide basis, dealers sold 40,359 new Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the fourth quarter of 2011, a 10.9% increase compared to 36,390 motorcycles sold in the year-ago period.

Dealers sold 23,753 new Harley-Davidson motorcycles in the U.S., an 11.8% increase compared to the fourth quarter of 2010. In international markets, dealers sold 16,606 new Harley-Davidson motorcycles during the fourth quarter, an increase of 9.7% compared to the year-ago period.

For the full year, worldwide retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles increased 5.9% to 235,188 units, compared to sales of 222,110 units in 2010. U.S. retail sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles increased 5.8% to 151,683 units, and in international markets sales increased 6.1% to 83,505 units, for the full year compared to 2010.

Industry-wide U.S. heavyweight new motorcycle (651cc-plus) retail unit sales increased 4.3% for the full year, compared to 2010.

Revenue From Motorcycle Sales

 Revenue from Motorcycles during the fourth quarter of 2011 of $791.9 million was up 13.5% compared to the year-ago period. The company shipped 50,730 motorcycles to dealers and distributors worldwide during the quarter, compared to shipments of 44,481 motorcycles in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Revenue from Motorcycle Parts and Accessories (P&A) totaled $161.2 million during the quarter, up 7.9%, and revenue from General Merchandise, which includes MotorClothes Apparel and Accessories, was $69.3 million, up 12.8% compared to the year-ago period.

2011 Results

For the full year of 2011, the Company shipped 233,117 motorcycles to dealers and distributors, a 10.7% increase compared to 210,494 units shipped in 2010. Revenue from Motorcycles for the full year was $3.55 billion, a 13.3% increase compared to the year-ago period.

Full-year P&A revenue was $816.6 million, a 9.0% increase compared to 2010. General Merchandise revenue was $274.1 million, a 5.8% increase compared to 2010. Gross margin for the full year was 33.4% and operating margin was 12.0%, compared to 34.2% and 9.1% respectively in 2010.

2012 Forecast

Harley-Davidson expects to ship 240,000 to 245,000 motorcycles to dealers and distributors worldwide in 2012, a three-to five-percent increase compared to 2011. In the first quarter of 2012, the Company expects to ship 58,000 to 63,000 motorcycles.

For the full year, Harley-Davidson expects gross margin to be between 34.75% and 35.75%. The company expects capital expenditures of between $190 million and $210 million in 2012, which includes approximately $25 million to support restructuring activities.

BMW Reports 2011 and 3Q Sales

November 3, 2011 - (BMW Press Release, Edited by webBikeWorld) - Worldwide BMW motorcycle sales improved slightly in the third quarter by 6.5% to 28,862 units for a total of 26,312 BMW (+7.4%) and 2,550 Husqvarna motorcycles (–2.0%).

The 2011 year-to-date (three quarters) sales volume totaled 92,972 motorcycles (+4.7%), while just the BMW brand sold 86,892 units, up 6.6% on the previous year.

Husqvarna recorded a drop of 16.3% to 6,080 units, "reflecting a drastic decline in the relevant market segment and the effect of wide-ranging measures undertaken to restructure worldwide sales for this brand", according to the Q3 BMW financial report.

BMW motorcycle sales in Europe during the first nine months of the year totaled 63,685 units, a similar level to the previous year (+0.9%). BMW said this was largely due to the strong German market, where sales rose dynamically by 18.0% to total 17,039 units. An increase was also recorded for France (8,586 units; +3.9%).

By contrast, nine-month sales volume figures were down for Spain (5,195 units; –6.2%), Italy (13,583 units; –9.3%) and Great Britain (5,475 units; –6.1%).

During the period from January to September 2011, BMW sold a total of 9,553 motorcycles in the USA, 9.5% more than in the corresponding period last year.

The number of motorcycles handed over to customers in Japan fell by 15.9% to 2,004 units as a result of the natural catastrophe.

Increased sales volumes were translated into higher revenues for the BMW motorcycle segment both in the quarter (euro 334 million; +14.8%) and for the nine-month period (euro 1,181 million; +9.3%). As a result of the strategic realignment of the Husqvarna Group, the segment recorded a negative EBIT of euro 16 million (2010: positive EBIT of euro 2 million) for the third-quarter. EBIT for the nine-month period was euro 62 million, down 29.5% from the previous year.

As a consequence of these developments, earnings for the Motorcycles segment were down on the previous year, with a third-quarter loss before tax of euro 17 million (2010: euro 0 million) and a nine-month profit before tax of euro 60 million (–27.7%).

The motorcycle workforce increased slightly; BMW currently employs 2,924 people in the motorcycles segment as of 30 September 2011.

Triumph Reports 2010 - 2011 Fiscal Year Sales

December 7, 2011 - (Triumph Motorcycles Press Release, Edited by webBikeWorld) - It's often difficult to get a clear understanding of motorcycle sales statistics, but bits and pieces dribble out from various manufacturers and sometimes give a more global view of the market.

Here is an edited version of a Triumph press release describing their fiscal year (ended June 30) results for 2011:

Triumph Motorcycles Group announced that turnover increased by 11% from £312.4 million in 2010 to £345.3 million in 2011 and that unit sales of Triumph motorcycles increased by 7% from 45,501 to 48,684. The increase in sales was attributed to the introduction of incremental models to the range.

Triumph operating profit before interest and taxes was £22.3 million, up from £15.1 million, an increase of £7.2 million. (Note that without comparable numbers for previous years, it's difficult to know whether this is a good or poor result).

Triumph stated what regular readers of the webBikeWorld Motorcycle Sales Statistics page already know:

"2011 was another very difficult year for the global motorcycle industry. The global market (for motorcycles bigger than 500cc) is down almost 50% from its peak four years ago, decreasing by 7% within the last year alone."

The report also stated that "Triumph remains cautious in terms of the general market outlook for 2012 due to the continued global economic turmoil and the impact upon consumer confidence and in particular spending on discretionary consumer goods.

New models are extremely important in driving growth and we have been able to increase spending in our R&D investment during the recession, which continues to positively impact our business. This year, Triumph has already launched three new motorcycles: the Tiger Explorer, Speed Triple R and the Steve McQueen Special. Feedback from dealers, press and the public has been extremely positive."

Triumph North American Operations

There was also a note about Triumph's North American subsidiary, which was established in 1994. It serves one of the largest motorcycle markets in the world with a network of approximately 200 Triumph dealers.

In the last 7 months of the fiscal year, Triumph outperformed the category slightly, growing market share by half a percentage point. Turnover increased by 9% and retail sales of motorcycles increased by 15%. The increase was helped by the introduction of new models late in the selling season, but increases also were seen across the entire model range line-up.

Parts, accessories and clothing grew at a rate of 8%, "due to the introduction of several new core riding and seasonal items". Triumph stated that "the sales momentum continues as the dealer network supports the new changes, resulting in an increase in retail sales of 31% for the month of October".

The North American subsidiary is focusing on growing the business through increasing brand awareness, dealer profitability, and expanding the network footprint in key open territories.

U.S. and European Motorcycle Sales Still Very Weak in 2011

October 22, 2011 - (Various Sources, Edited by webBikeWorld) - U.S. street bike and scooter sales have improved over the course of 2011 when compared to the same period in 2010, while other segments have dropped, making for a relatively flat year overall.

Dual-sport motorcycle sales were down significantly for the year when compared to 2010, but increased 14% in the third quarter of 2011, a hopeful sign indicating the popularity of this segment and hopefully a portent of things to come (see the wBW "Budget Adventure Touring" article and the Suzuki DR650 blog).

Scooter sales were also up by 17% for the year overall when compared to 2010, and scooter sales are the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal report. Street bike sales showed a weak improvement.

The improvement in scooter sales helped make combined retail sales for the three quarters reported in 2011 at least remain flat compared to 2010. Take away the increase in scooter sales and the result is a very weak market overall for motorcycles.

European Powered Two-Wheeler Sales Down

In Europe, ACEM reports that from January to August of 2011, sales of new motorcycles and scooters in the countries monitored by ACEM were down 8.86% over the same period in 2010, with 105,6906 registered units. Malaguti, the Italian scooter manufacturer, will close this year after 81 years of operation.

Among the five main EU markets studied by ACEM, Powered Two-Wheeler (PTW) sales in Italy are down 17.3%; Spain  down 15,1% and The Netherlands down 13%. France is down 2.82%, while Germany is up 3.7%. UK is down 2.36%.

2011 European Two-Wheeled Vehicle Sales Lag

July 17, 2011 - ACEM, the European motorcycle industry association, reports that "the crisis is not over yet for the European motorcycle sector. The latest figures for the spring sales and registrations confirm the enduring negative trend.

Motorcycle sales fluctuate during the course of the year, but with the beginning of the warmer and dryer season, dealers expect a surge in demand. This year they were disappointed once more.

After a negative 2009 and 2010, did not yield the hoped positive results. During the first five months of 2011, sales of new powered two-wheelers in the countries monitored by ACEM, were down 3.2% over the same period of 2010, with just 633.362 registered units.

The expected rebound from the a long period of negative news that began at the end of 2008 did not materialize. Even the onset of the good season, which marks a surge in interest for PTW and usually generates a spike in sales, is not contributing to relieve the damages provoked by the economic crisis."

Since 2008, ACEM has called for policymakers to devote more attention to this situation which is causing dramatic consequences to the labor market. For instance, Spain lost 25% of jobs in PTW manufacturing out of a workforce of 50,000 in 2007. Despite this negative average trend some countries distinguish themselves for their good performance.

Belgium reports an exceptional 18,7% increase in registrations, while France and Germany grow respectively by 8,2% and 7,7%.

Unfortunately, all other EU markets are confirming a constant decline, with Spain  down 10.4%, the UK down 1.7%and The Netherlands down 1.3%.

In this scenario, Italy’s disappointing performance, losing 15.4% from January 2010 to January 2011 is holding back the rest of the EU market averages. Considering that Italy represents 25% of the entire EU market, this loss translates to a crippling blow to the aggregated EU sales. Since the incentives scheme ran out a year ago, the decline patterns experienced by Italy have been the same as elsewhere.

2010 U.S. Motorcycle Sales Report

January 29, 2011 - (Various Sources, Edited by webBikeWorld) - Motorcycle sales (traditionally reported as Dual-Sport, Street, Off-Road and Scooter) declined in 2010 to roughly 1998 levels.

Total sales in 2010 were estimated at 439,678, down from 521,876 in 2009. This is a decrease of approximately 18.5% and it is a very dramatic change from the peak year of 2005, when motorcycle sales reached approximately 1.1 million total. This means that in just 5 years, total motorcycle sales have dropped by more than 50%.

Sales of off-road motorcycles in 2010 declined the most at -23.3% and they were already down 28% from the 2008 to 2009 sales year (see chart below).

For comparison, here is the 2008-2009 table:

Selected Worldwide Motorcycle Statistics

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

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