Retail Sales Report April 12, 2004

2003 motorcycle sales climb 6.4%

Motorcycle sales in 2003 finished the year with a modest gain, up 6.4%, reaching 922,431 units, according to figures compiled by the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC). That number includes sales of 46,680 scooter units.

The highway segment continued to be the largest segment, posting sales of 561,780 units for the year, up 5.1% over sales in 2002.

The fastest growing segment for the year was scooters, which grew at a rate of 19.8% for the year. Scooter unit sales were about 5.1% of the total motorcycle sales.

Off-highway sales for the year climbed 7.6%, reaching a total of 294,015 units.

ATVs, after a slow start in 2003, finished stronger, posting a modest gain for the year of 3.9%, up 29,870 units. Sales for the year were 799,353 units. This does not include youth machines offered by non-MIC members.