Motorcycle sales up for Q1, 2021
Motorcycle sales have experienced stellar growth for the first quarter of 2021, increasing by 51.6 per cent on the same quarter last year.
According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), total sales of 27,256 motorcycles, scooters and off-highway vehicles (OHV = ATV and SxS) for the January-March period was up by 9,279 units on the same quarter in 2020.
As with most quarterly sales breakdowns for the Australian market, off-road motorcycles led the way, with 11,642 sales: an increase of 5,480 units or 88.9 per cent. OHV sales of 5,455 for the quarter was an increase of 1,984 units or 57.2 per cent over the same period last year.
After a lacklustre 2020, road bike sales rebounded, with 8,684 sales for Jan-Mar 2021: an increase of 1,502 units or 20.9 per cent. Even scooter sales were up, with 1,475 sold: an increase of 313 units or 26.9 per cent for the quarter.
Of course, these numbers only include FCAI members, so the likes of Royal Enfield, MV Agusta CFMoto, Sherco, Kymco, Benelli and other brands whose importers aren’t in the FCAI mean that the Q1 sales are even greater than the numbers listed.
FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber attributes the industry’s strong start in 2021 to a number of factors.
“The results are clearly reinforcing the view that motorbikes, scooters and OHVs are continuing to be a favoured mobility choice across the country. It also reflects a growing confidence in the economy as people use their disposable income to either upgrade or buy a motorcycle for the first time,” Weber said.
“The big increase in off road motorcycles also suggests that the changed social environment brought about by COVID 19 has encouraged many people to look to this area as a positive form of recreation.”
Whether the industry can maintain this growth for the remainder of 2021 remains to be seen, but there seems to be no obvious reason for sales to stagnate at this stage.