Market reports – Eric Antunes (KTM): the 1290 Super Duke R was a success – KTM used cars

Posted on by admin

Eric Antunes (KTM): the 1290 Super Duke R was a success

Market reports - Eric Antunes (KTM): the 1290 Super Duke R was a success - KTM used cars

With 6,346 registrations, KTM posted a decline of -2.0% on the French motorcycle market. Éric Antunes, CEO of KTM France, establishes for Site the 2014 balance sheet of the Austrian brand and reveals its objectives for 2015. Interview.

Site: What do you think of the general evolution of the French motorcycle market in 2014? ?
Eric Antunes, President of KTM France: The 2014 market grew compared to 2013 (read our, Editor’s note). This is good news but let’s face it, this is mainly due to Yamaha and the introduction of its MT07, as well as a full year of sales of the MT09. All the other brands suffered and had to be very active to maintain their sales level. Only BMW also performed well with a 12.8% increase largely thanks to the new 1200 GS Adventure. If we remove these three models, or even just 50% of their volumes, the market would be at -1.2%. So the market is generally stable but very difficult. It is also clear that the novelties maintain it and make it possible to seek growth. Nevertheless, the MT07 has proven that new features must be in line with customer demands..

MNC: What is your assessment for your brand in 125 and large cubes? ?
E. A .: For KTM, the 125 market (excluding scooters where we are not present) is important. It is a pool of potential customers for our other models. This market is also complicated and the mesh of our network is not totally related. We have 87 points of sale and for local vehicles, that’s not much. Our remains, after three years, one of the best sellers in this market behind the CBF. I set Mash a bit apart, even though they’ve introduced a cheap product that appeals to them. Yamaha also arrives with a direct competitor, the, and therefore 2015 will be complicated. Despite everything, we are counting on our news to attract new customers and allow us to progress.

"Our image is not yet at BMW’s level, but we are working on it with our network"

Regarding the large engines, the year was excellent thanks to our acclaimed by the press and customers. We have sold out all quantities and hope to do the same number in 2015. Our continued to sell well but competition was fierce with the news. Our image is not yet at BMW’s level, but we are working on it with our network. If we only look at products from 1100 cc and over € 13,000, we still have 8% of the market and are second behind BMW, the undisputed leader. Our 690 single cylinders have worked in various ways: the remain a bestseller but our Duke were in direct competition with the MT07 and therefore lagged in their price despite a higher level of equipment.

MNC: Which models have performed particularly well this year ?
E. A .: The flagship model of the year 2014 for KTM is of course the. But they also worked very well.

MNC: Who are those who have stayed behind? Why ?
E. A .: As stated above, the has suffered from competition and the arrival of hard-hitting competitors.

"This 100 hp law had no basis and so it is good news that it is gone"

MNC: The French 100 horsepower law will end in 2016. Do you expect sales of powerful motorcycles to fall in 2015? ?
E. A .: This 100 hp law had no basis, so it’s good news that it’s gone. Regarding the impact on sales of +100 hp in 2015, the answer will be linked to the government’s decision on retroactivity for models already on the market on January 1. We are for the moment still awaiting the decision, even if we have good hopes following the last meetings that have taken place on the subject..

MNC: How has your dealer network evolved this year ?
E. A .: The year was very difficult for the distributor networks. Some of our distributors have suffered more than others, but in general they have been able to absorb the difficulties of the market and therefore our network is still active. We currently still have our 87 distributors. New ones should be active in the first quarter and we still have requests to finalize by the end of the year. By 2017, our network should have 100 distributors in order to be closer to our customers.

MNC: Did your new products for 2014 reach their commercial objectives? ?
E. A .: Absolutely. The main novelty, the, was a success. All quantities have found takers and the first 2015, delivered at the end of 2014, are practically all reserved. Our models arrived too late, at the end of October. We will check their start-ups in the first months of 2015. Note that the RC390 falls into the new 400 cc category of Promosports, set up by the FFM. We are in the homologation phase of this RC with the FFM. This should be done by the end of February.

MNC: What was the pleasant surprise of your 2014? And the less good ?
E. A .: The is our good surprise. The worst is the but also the Enduro racing segment which is reduced year after year and where sales are therefore lost..

MNC: In your opinion, what was the highlight of 2014 in the world of two-wheelers? ?
E. A .: No particular event marked me in 2014. A lot of things happened, but nothing really exceptional or really remarkable.

MNC: What are your good resolutions for the year 2015 ?
E. A .: For 2015, we hope to further increase market share in a stable global market. The introduction of our new Adventure (a range from 1050 to 1290) and the start of sales on our RC models should allow us to do this. We are still working on our image with road customers through various marketing and communication operations..

MNC: What are your major events in 2015 ?
E. A .: We will of course be present on a number of operations with our customers. The KTM Mania is renewed, the 390Duke Cup also. We are organizing a few events around the Adventure range. We will be present with our team on the French enduro championship. We set up a team on the with two pilots. We are back in France with our track runs through TNT in mid-May with four dates when all bikers are welcome, whatever the brand of their motorcycle, to allow them to try our range. We will also be present at various events in the provinces in support of our distributors and of course in Paris, for the show in December.

MNC: To conclude, what has KTM ordered from Santa Claus this year? ?
E. A .: Simply that customers come back to the stores to discover or rediscover the world of motorcycles. That they can find the bike that will satisfy them so that they have fun while riding. Happy New Year 2015 to all !

Interview by Matthieu BRETILLE

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *