Motorcycle situation: Suzuki worried…
Apart from the concept which is apparently well advanced for the new V-Strom 1000, Suzuki did not present any new motorcycle innovations during the two unmissable events of this autumn: the Intermot two-wheeler shows in Cologne (read our Special MNC Intermot file ) and Milan EICMA (read our Special MNC EICMA File)…
Apart from the concept a priori well advanced of the, Suzuki presented no new motorcycle during the two essential meetings of this fall: the two-wheeler shows Intermot in Cologne (read our) and EICMA in Milan (read our)…
Instead, the Hamamastu coat of arms was content to unveil one, install the and relaunch the career of … In fact, the main "novelty" of Suzuki 2013 lies – for the moment? – in the scooter category: the has indeed undergone a promising upgrade, both aesthetically and technically.
These models having been unveiled at the Intermot in Cologne, visitors to the Milan show were a little hungry when they rediscovered the same Suzuki "novelties" on the Italian stand. The contrast with that of compatriot Honda where proudly exhibited no less than six new models (,,,, and) was striking !
However, in the absence of new models yet demanded by both customers and the network (such as the GSR 1000 roadster), Suzuki is unlikely to improve its worrying commercial situation: in France, its sales of two-wheelers are declining month after month. despite all the efforts made by the dealers and the French subsidiary (read in particular our).
Bad signs are piling up
Under these conditions, we can only worry about the Japanese manufacturer, especially since this unfavorable situation has been going on for some time now. This trend even extends beyond our small world of two-wheelers, since it also affects Suzuki’s automotive activity: following the crisis and the rise of the yen against the euro and the dollar, Suzuki car sales have also plummeted.
Suzuki also confirmed earlier this month the end of its sales of cars in the United States, just after the bankruptcy of the automotive branch of its subsidiary American Suzuki Motor Corporation was made public. The manufacturer will continue to market its two-wheelers, ATVs and watercraft across the Atlantic, but its automotive activity ends after 50 years of presence in Uncle Sam’s country….
Shortly after the announcement of this bad news, Suzuki Japan announced its decision to close its Spanish motorcycle and scooter factory (Burgman 125 and 200 and the Marauder 125, in particular) on March 31, 2013. The erosion of sales in Europe and an accumulation of debts would be the main responsible for the decline of this structure installed in Gijon for 28 years and where nearly 200 people work.
The priority is elsewhere
Last week and on the other side of the globe this time, Suzuki announced good news: the creation of a new factory in the Philippines! Chaired by the CEO of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Osamu Suzuki, the opening ceremony officially ended the 16 months of work necessary for the construction of this new 11,000 m2 building..
A thousand workers will manufacture motorcycles from 110 to 150 cc, intended for the markets of Southeast Asia, in full expansion, them. "The annual production capacity is 200,000 units," claims the manufacturer whose sales in the Philippines alone reached 97,000 units in 2011.
Finally, Suzuki recently published positive overall results for the first half of 2012 (April-September): while its turnover has hardly changed (10.6 billion euros), its operating income has increased by + 2.2% to reach around 622 million euros, while its net income increased by + 30.9% to reach almost 394 million euros.
The "motorcycle" activity, on the other hand, is at half mast: the drop of -18% compared to the first half of 2011 was accompanied by an operating loss of around 55.5 million euros. This sector only represents 9.2% of Suzuki’s activity, but the manufacturer is probably counting on its future small motorcycles "made in the Philippines" to correct this rate … Much less on the future V-Strom 1000 or a hypothetical GSR 1000? Business to follow on MNC: stay connected !
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