New bike sales fall for first half of 2022
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) has released data on new motorcycle sales for the first half of 2022, which appears to show that the “COVID Boom” of 2020 and 2021 is over, as the market recorded a drop of 14.2 per cent for the Jan-Jun period.
Overall, new bike sales across the road, off-road, OHV (comprising ATV and SxS) and scooter categories totalled 47,929 for the first half of 2022, compared to 55,840 for the same period last year.
The decline wasn’t across all categories, though, with both road and scooter sales increasing for the six-month period. Off-road sales fell by more than 10 per cent and OHV sales slumped dramatically.
New road bike sales of 18,164 for Jan-Jun compares to 17,331 from the same period in 2021 – an increase of 4.8 per cent. Scooter sales of 2,784 units was an increase of 11.4 per cent on 2021’s half-year total of 2,490.
After what the FCAI describes as two exceptional sales years in 2020 and 2021, off-road bike sales fell from 22,231 for the Jan-Jun period in 2021 to 19,406 for this half-year – a drop of 12.7 per cent, but still higher than in the last few pre-COVID years.
The drop here can be attributed in part to the end of lockdowns and the re-opening of state borders to travellers, meaning money previously spent on “backyard” pursuits is now being put into other areas.
For the OHV category, that includes ATVs and Side by Side vehicles, the decline was even more dramatic than the off-road sector, with just 7,575 sales for the Jan-Jun 2022 half-year representing a significant drop of 45 per cent from last year’s 13,779 total.
The fall in sales for this category can be explained by the rush to buy agricultural ATVs before ‘Operator Protector Devices’ (OPDs) became mandatory for such vehicles last October.
Brands like Honda, Yamaha and Polaris questioned these OPDs when they were announced, particularly the science behind them and how effective they were in preventing accident and injury. Rather than implement these government-mandated devices, all three brands, amongst others, elected to withdraw their non-sports ATVs from the Australian market entirely – Polaris in 2020, with Honda and Yamaha following in 2021. These brands now focus on their SxS models, which have integral roll cages and aren’t subject to the OPD requirement.
Beyond the ‘post-COVD’ freedoms and OPD introduction, FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said other factors were in play regarding this period’s decline in sales.
“Global shipping remains unpredictable. This is impacting both production of motorcycles, scooters and off-road vehicles and their freight to Australia.”
In terms of sales for brands and individual models, this data remains unavailable after being withdrawn from FCAI releases in 2019.
It should also be noted that the half-yearly total of 47,929 only includes FCAI member brands, so the likes of Royal Enfield, MV Agusta, Benelli, Segway, Peugeot Motocycles, Super Soco, CFMoto, Sherco, Kymco and others are not included in the figures, as their respective importers are not FCAI members. Add these brands in and the Jan-Jun sales total could be around 60,000 or more.
2022 Australian Motorcycle Market Half-Year Overview*
Segment Jan-Jun 2022 sales Jan-Jun 2021 sales Percentage +/-
Road 18,164 17,331 +4.8 %
Scooter 2,784 2,499 +11.4 %
Off-Road 19,406 22,231 -12.7 %
OHV 7,575 13,779 -45.0 %
TOTAL 47,929 55,840 -14.2 %
*FCAI Members only
