PSB/RBC survey finds mixed business conditions

PSB/RBC survey finds mixed business conditions
Two out of three dealers describe overall business conditions as “somewhat weak” or “very weak,” according to a new online survey conducted June 24-July 1 by Powersports Business and RBC Capital Markets.

Of the dealers responding, 50 percent said overall business conditions were “somewhat weak” and 13 percent described business conditions as “very weak.” The survey also showed that 18 percent of dealers rate business conditions as “average,” 15 percent say conditions are “somewhat strong,” and 3 percent rate conditions “very strong.”

The survey also found that nearly two out of three dealers rated pre-owned unit sales as either “average” or “somewhat strong.” Thirty percent of dealers responded that pre-owned unit sales were either “somewhat weak” or “very weak.”

Nearly four out of five dealers responded that their service department business ranked as either “average,” “somewhat strong,” or “very strong.” More than 40 percent of dealers characterized their service department as either “somewhat strong” or “very strong.”

About 40 percent of dealers classify customer traffic in the second quarter of 2011 as “somewhat better” or “significantly better” than the same quarter last year.

Additionally, more than 60 percent of dealers responding reported customer buying interest in the second quarter as “about the same,” “somewhat better,” or “significantly better” than it was in the same quarter a year ago. More than 30 percent reported customer buying interest as “somewhat worse” or “significantly worse” than in the second quarter of 2010.

In the area of retail financing availability versus the second quarter of 2010, dealers responded with a near-equal mix of “somewhat better,” “about the same” and “somewhat worse.”

Bike production in japan on the rise
Motorcycle production in Japan rose by 10.2 percent in May compared to the year-ago month, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc. There were 53,105 units produced in May 2011, up 4,913 units compared to May 2010. It was also a production increase on the same month compared to the previous year after four months of downturn.

On the OEM front, Honda produced 18,026 units, a 31.8 percent increase from a year ago. Suzuki manufactured 17,340 units, a 5.5 percent increase. Yamaha made 9,408 units, a decrease of 14 percent, and Kawasaki built 8,330 units, a 17 percent increase from a year ago.

Production figures by class were as follows:

50cc or under: 14,975 units, up 49.8 percent

51-125cc: 6,211 units, up 52 percent

126-250cc: 5,969 units, down 12.2 percent

Over 250cc: 25,950 units, down 5 percent

The JAMA also reported that motorcycle exports were down 4.4 percent in May. There were 33,946 units exported, compared to 35,491 units in May 2010. There’s been an export decrease on the same month of the previous year for four consecutive months. Suzuki topped exports by OEMs with 11,010 units, an increase of 23.8 percent from a year ago. Yamaha (9,705, down 21 percent), Honda (8,029, down 3 percent) and Kawasaki (5,202, down 12 percent) followed.