Market reports – Eric Antunes (KTM): our Adventure range has found its customers – Used KTM

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Eric Antunes (KTM): our Adventure range has found its customers

Market reports - Eric Antunes (KTM): our Adventure range has found its customers - Used KTM

With 5,904 registrations, KTM shows a decrease of -7% on the French motorcycle market. Eric Antunes, President of KTM France, establishes for Site the 2015 results of the Austrian brand and reveals its objectives for 2016. Interview.

Site: Do you consider that the announcement of the end of the law of 100 horses had a negative effect on the market in general and on your results in particular? ?
Eric Antunes, President of KTM France: This announcement in itself was good news. Unfortunately, the government’s treatment of this file late – and which is still not validated at this time – has certainly delayed purchases. So yes to a certain extent, it has had a negative impact for KTM in the sense that we have powerful bikes and customers who want to benefit from their bike without restraint. Now it’s hard to quantify.

MNC: On the contrary, will it boost activity in 2016? ?
E. A .: For 2016, there will certainly be an acceleration in heavy-duty sales in the first quarter, but this should return to normal over the rest of the year..

MNC: Can the Paris Motor Show at the end of 2015 also stimulate the market at the start of the year? ?
E. A .: One is always beneficial for a brand, especially for KTM which has yet to make itself known to road biker customers. So yes, some customers have discovered the brand and its new products and therefore we should have new demand in the first half of the year. However, I don’t see a growing market.

MNC: How do you interpret the current success of "neo-retro" motorcycles? ?
E. A .: For me, it’s a fad and a way to ride differently. There is a demand and a new clientele who may not be looking for the same thing as the diehard biker. There is a need and some brands have the products. Now, is this a sustainable market? Difficult to get an idea for the moment.

MNC: What is your opinion on the ban on motorcycles before 2000 in Paris from this summer? ?
E. A .: Once again, our rulers are busy on the motorbike while the two-wheelers help to unblock the cities. This law will penalize people who do not have a strong purchasing power and who, for this reason, drive old vehicles. On the other hand, it might allow those customers to upgrade to newer models and keep the used fleet running. Difficult to know. What is certain is that a person who has tasted the freedom to travel on a two-wheeler will find it difficult to return to public transport..

MNC: How do you feel about the overall evolution of the French motorcycle market in 2015? ?
E. A .: The change in volume was minimal but all the players suspected it. Unfortunately, we are running on a number of clients which is not really increasing and therefore the market is complicated. The brands are all working on new products to boost their sales and in this complicated market, we see that only these new products can keep a constant volume. If we hadn’t had all these new features in 2015, the market would have been seriously down..

MNC: What is your assessment for your brand in 125 and large cubes? ?
E. A .: In motorbike 125 (excluding scooter), our is still doing well despite the weight of the years. It was but it is still a top product and still succeeds well, despite a competitor like the. Our entered a market that has disappeared for two years and therefore does not score as expected. Ce and KTM only drop 6%.

Concerning motorcycles over 125 cc, we were penalized by the drop in our. This market has collapsed this year for no real reason. The offer is substantial, but the customers are no longer there, or less there. The has also penalized this motorcycle niche. The rest of the range is in the quantities planned if we incorporate the few customer sales awaiting full versions. Our has found its customers and is down slightly, but it is the most impacted by the .

MNC: Which models have performed particularly well this year?
E. A .: As I said above, it is the Adventure range driven by the two novelties and. Despite everything, the works well and our too.

MNC: Who are those who have stayed behind? Why ?
E. A .: What penalized us the most in 2015 in terms of volume was our Enduro range. Indeed, this market is shrinking a little every year and our 2016 range, which arrived in June, is starting to date even if our motorcycles remain the best. 2016 should allow us to return to a level of sales in line with our image.

MNC: Did your new products for 2015 reach their commercial objectives? ?
E. A .: For road cars yes, but as I said, not our Enduro.

MNC: What was the pleasant surprise of your 2015? And the less good ?
E. A .: The pleasant surprise of this year is the fact that, despite the lack of novelty in small and medium displacement, our motorcycles continue to sell in interesting volumes. So customers love our motorcycles because they are different. In addition, we did not want to bring in our big cube new products at the end of 2015 in order to enter them in full from January 2016. This penalized our results for November and December. The bad is what doesn’t happen and drags on.

MNC: According to you, what was the highlight of 2015 in the world of two-wheelers? ?
E. A .: Maybe this until. The is for me a great success, proof that work pays off.

MNC: What are your good resolutions for 2016 ?
E. A .: For 2016, we are going to do what is necessary to progress thanks to our network and our innovations. The had an incredible reception at EICMA and Paris. Our network is also growing with around ten new distributor openings. This is good news because it shows that beyond the attractiveness of the brand to customers, there is a real demand from professionals to work on our products. I encourage those of them who are interested in KTM to contact us. Our image is and will remain "Ready To Race" and even more in our communication.

MNC: What are your major events in 2016 ?
E. A .: For 2016, we are launching the RC 390 Cup as part of the Promosport 400 and will thus come up against the R3s. Of course, we will be on Enduro France, the Cross with in particular the 13th edition of our Trophy, the Road Rally, regional shows such as Lyon and Marseille in support of our local distributors. We will also be celebrating the tenth anniversary of KTM Mania for which we will announce several new features … and many other events..

MNC: To conclude, what has KTM ordered from Santa Claus this year? ?
E. A .: A more serene world where people stop killing themselves for a religion, a sunny season to take advantage of all possible rides, and our customers take enormous pleasure on their motorcycles.

Interview by Matthieu BRETILLE

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