Features

International powersports market report – November 13, 2006

JAPAN
Motorcycle production by Japan’s four main manufacturers fell in September after two months of upturn while exports fell after six months of upturn. Still, the industry looks on course to at least equal 2005.
Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha produced 153,104 units during the month, down 9.2 percent from 168,657 units produced in September 2005, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA).
Honda produced 47,202 units in September, down from 56,727 units in September 2005; Kawasaki produced 23,629 units, down from 23,446 units; Suzuki produced 45,318 units, down from 47,853 units; and Yamaha produced 36,935 units, down from 40,596 units in September 2005.
The four manufacturers exported 107,309 units in September, down 701 units or 0.6 percent compared to the export of 108,010 units in September 2005.
The United States received 48,238 units, down from 49,041 units received in September 2005.
Yamaha shipped 33,414 units to destinations throughout the world in September, up from 29,735 units shipped in September 2005; Honda shipped 31,792 units, down from 34,498 units; Kawasaki shipped 22,656 units, down from 23,885 units; and Suzuki shipped 19,447 units, down from 19,892 units.
The total value of motorcycles exported in September 2006 was $592.48 million, including $482.93 million for vehicles and $109.55 million for parts.
This is an increase of 4 percent or $22.81 million compared to the total value of $569.67 million recorded for September 2005.
For the nine-month period ending Sept. 30, the four OEMs produced 1,293,846 units, just shy of the 1,309,846 units produced during the first nine months of 2005. Two of the manufacturers produced more units in 2006 while two produced less.
Honda produced 409,948 units in the recent nine-month period, down from 438,983 units during the first nine months of 2005, and Yamaha produced 320,639 units, down from 345,800 units. But Kawasaki produced 178,865 units, up from 165,479 units, and Suzuki produced 384,007 units, up from 358,461 units.
Regarding exports during the recently ended nine-month period, the four manufacturers shipped 951,684 units, up from 933,817 units shipped during the first nine months of 2005. The United States received 414,267 units since January, up from 385,829 units during the same period last year.
Kawasaki and Suzuki exported a greater number of units the first nine months of this year than the first nine months of 2005 and Honda and Yamaha exported fewer. Kawasaki shipped 163,905 units, up from 151,455 units; Suzuki shipped 273,027 units, up from 223,227 units; Honda shipped 243,832 units, down from 268,637 units; and Yamaha shipped 270,920 units, down from 290,498 units.
BRAZIL
Brazil’s Association of Manufacturers of Motorcycles, Mopeds, Bicycles and Similars (Abraciclo) says manufacturers produced 1,690,339 motorcycles between January and September, up 18 percent compared to the 906,199 units produced during the same nine months of 2005.
Domestic sales during the first nine months of 2006 totaled 940,193 units, up 23.9 percent from sales of 758,711 units sold during the same nine-month period in 2005.
Motorcycle manufacturers reporting to Abraciclo now include Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kasinski, Sundown and Yamaha. The organization says Honda sold 761,719 units during the nine-month period ended Sept. 30, Yamaha sold 130,037 units, Sundown sold 44,961 units, Kasinski sold 2,437 units and Harley-Davidson sold 1,039 units.
Concerning production, Abraciclo says Harley-Davidson produced 655 units between January and September, Honda produced 858,108 units, Kasinski produced 2,511 units, Sundown produced 44,961 units and Yamaha produced 163,104 units.
Honda and Yamaha are the sole exporters of two-wheelers from Brazil. Abraciclo says 133,650 units were exported between January and September, down from exports of 143,174 units during the same nine-month period in 2005.
Honda exported 94,705 units, down from 105,977 units during the same period last year; Yamaha exported 38,945 units, up from 37,197 units during the first nine months of 2005.
ITALY
Confindustria Ancma (ANCMA), the Italian industry association for motorcycle and scooters, said two-wheeler sales during the first nine months of the year were up 6.2 percent to 393,771 units. The organization said motorcycles sales were up 8.4 percent to 147,258 units while scooter sales climbed 4.9 percent to 246,513 units thanks to an order from the Italian Postal Service.
ANCMA says 20.4 percent of the new motorcycles sold were mid-sized 650-750cc units and 12 percent of the scooters sold were 250cc units.
GERMANY
Germany’s Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt says 164,053 new two-wheelers and ATVs were registered between January and September – 148,281 cycles and 14,978 quads.
An authority of the Federal Ministry for Traffic, Building and Development, the KBA licenses new vehicles.
Top two-wheeler suppliers during the nine-month period included Honda, with 28,583 new units licensed; Suzuki, 19,528 units; BMW, 19,469 units; Yamaha, 18,371 units; Kawasaki, 10,316 units; Piaggio, 8,188 units; Harley-Davidson, 5,248 units; KTM, 4635 units; Aprilia, 3,270 units; and French supplier MBK with 2,651 new units licensed.
The top three categories of two-wheeler consist of vehicles 49cc to 125cc in size (37,706 units), models larger than 1000cc (36,299 units) and bikes in the 500cc to 749cc range (35,803 units).
The ATV market presents a completely different set of suppliers. Eight of the top 10 most prolific quad suppliers in Germany come from Taiwan.
Kwang Yang Motor Co. (KYMCO) led the market during the first nine months of the year with 2,094 newly registered units. KYMCO eclipsed Standard Motor Company, with 1,390 units registered; Yamaha, 852 units; SanYang, 666 units; Her Chee, 665 units; Suzuki, 636 units; Aeon Motor, 431 units; Barossa Motor, 408 units; Jiangsu Linhai, 378 units; and CPI Motor, with 193 units registered.
Interestingly, a number of ATV market leaders in the United States haven’t experienced the same success moving product in Germany in 2006. According to the KBA, Kawasaki had 182 quads registered during the past nine months, Honda had 93, Arctic Cat 90, Polaris 49 and BRP 41.
UNITED KINGDOM
Registrations of new motorcycles in the United Kingdom during the first nine months of the year remained relatively stable despite declines in the Moped, Adventure Sport, Supersport, Touring and Enduro segments.
The Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCI) says 108,377 two-wheelers were sold in the United Kingdom between January and September, just short of the 108,989 units registered during the same period in 2005. Motorcycles accounted for 90,555 new registrations, up 1 percent from 89,929 units registered during the first nine months of 2005; 49cc Mopeds accounted for 17,822 registrations, down 6 percent from 19,060 registered during the same nine-month period last year.
The top 10 two-wheelers registered during the first nine months of the year include the Honda CBR1000RR, 1,831 units; Suzuki GSX-R750, 1,757 units; Yamaha YZF R6, 1,737 units; GSX-R600, 1,734 units; GSX-R1000, 1,686 units; Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1,629 units; Honda CBR125R, 1,465 units; Yamaha YBR125, 1,405 units; BMW R 1200 GS, 1,219 units; and Honda SCV 100 Lead, 1,152 units.

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