Market reports – Even the 125 are calming down! –

Even the 125 calm down !

Market reports - Even the 125 are calming down! -

At the end of the first half of 2007, the motorcycle market posted a 4.4% increase in sales, or 127,010 two-wheelers of 125cc and more delivered in France. But even among the 125, the current trend is towards appeasement … Reviews and analyzes.

With one less working day compared to June 2006, the month of June 2007 ended with a slowdown in the rate of registrations, in both large and small displacement. The monthly volume of motorcycle registrations (motorized two-wheelers of 125 cc and more) reached the number of 29,135 in June, compared to 29,339 last year, a negligible decline of 0.7%..

Halfway through the 2007 financial year, Yamaha is still leading the ranking of all-cylinder registrations (excluding 50 cc): its sales increased slightly (+ 0.8%) but its market share fell below the 20% bar.

Behind the French number one, Suzuki (+ 3.4%) is not quite able to follow the market trend – which is up 4.4% compared to 2006 -, but its results allow it to steal the second place at Honda, which had a difficult start to the year (-14.4%).

Piaggio (+ 14.7%) takes advantage of the vitality of scooters in France to take 4th place at Kawasaki (-6.2%). Lower in the ranking, we note the good health of European players such as Peugeot (+ 14.5%), KTM (+ 14.9%) and Triumph (+ 25.9%), accompanied by the American Harley- Davidson (+ 14.9%) and more exotic brands: Sym (+ 106.8%), Sky Team (+ 95.3%) and Yiying (+ 274.1%).

On the other hand, the first six months of the year were more disappointing for MBK (-5.4% despite scooters in line with the evolution of the market), Aprilia (-11.6%), Ducati (-5, 2%) Daelim (-1.8%) and Kymco (-20.3%).

Market 125: 14,880 units (+ 0.3%)

After Yamaha and the incredible month of May of its Xmax (read), the "other" manufacturers once again absorb the largest market share in 125cc: 19.9%, or 2,966 vehicles !

Thus, beyond the top 10 manufacturers for the month of June, are ranked in order: JMStar (270 registrations including 266 for the CJ12M which can be found at 880 € on the internet …), Sky Team (261), Gilera (222), Yiying (201), Hyosung (176), Keeway (120), Fym (106) and Jonway (102). Alone, these eight outsiders still represent 9.8% of the 125 cc sector. !

But they are still far from the 18.9% of Yamaha’s PDM for the first half of 2007, even if the tuning forks brand has lost 1.2% compared to the first half of 2006. Despite the great shape of its Xmax (1,388 registrations in June), Yamaha suffered a further decline last month with -4% while the entire market remains at its level of June 2006.

Piaggio signs a very good month of June (+ 10.7%) and is behind Yamaha again: 2,732 sales for the Italian against 2,813 for the Japanese. His X9 takes 3rd place among the French 125 scoots (552 sales), while his MP3 and his X8 are respectively 6th (399) and 8th (332).

The excellent performance of the Liberty (499 immates, a new contract with La Poste?) Should be highlighted, as well as the arrival of the new XEvo, which should soon appear in the top 15: 132 sales for the moment..

On the contrary, Honda sales continue to decline with -21.3% last month and -23% over the whole of the first six months, despite a Varadero still as valiant (2nd best seller with 3,188 immats!) And a CBR125RR making the asp at YBR last month (408 sales versus 462). Fortunately for him, the world number one will deliver from this July the first S-Wing, "classy GT" scooters essential to any manufacturer wishing to make volume in France..

Recently presented to French journalists – and their companions, because "this scooter is also for women", deftly underlines Bruno Chemin, responsible for communication at Honda France – will the new Honda S-Wing scooter reach its target of" young dynamic executives "? Answer in the next Site reports !

In any case, the new Suzuki Burgman does seem to have hit this famous target: 832 sales. Suzuki thus posted an excellent month of June with + 17.3% compared to the same month in 2006. At the end of this first half-year, Suz therefore recorded a good increase of 13.7% of its registrations and gained 0.2% of market share: its half-yearly PDM stands at 6.8%.

Fifth in the month of June, MBK achieved 20 sales more than Peugeot Motocycles: 733 against 713. But despite the 9th place (in scooter category) of its Skycruiser over the first six months, MBK ended its first half of 2007 with a drop of its sales by 5.4% compared to 2006.

In June 2007, sales of the Peugeot Satelis slackened slightly (346 "Standard" and 190 "K") while in June 2006, the Sochalian scooter was ranked best seller all models and all displacements combined with more than 1,000 copies elapsed (read) !

Suddenly, Peugeot registrations fell by 39.9% in June and its growth over the whole of the first six months was limited to + 8.4%, against + 10.1% for the 125 sector as a whole..

Sym, with its GTS back in the top 15, continues its ascent: + 102.8% in June and + 114.6% since January 2007! The Taiwanese thus crosses the milestone of 2,000 units (3.49% of EBITDA). For their part, Aprilia, Daelim and Kymco are below the mark of 3% of PDM, which they all exceeded last year..

At the end of the first semester, congratulations go to the scooters which today represent 71.5% of the sector against 67% in 2006 and 64% previously! Customs are maintaining their 2006 pace (around 3.5%) for now, as are all-terrain vehicles (12.5%). And finally, it is the road which is declining: their market share goes from 17% to 12.3%. It is true that the gloomy weather – apart from the month of April – did not make it easy for them. !

Large engine market: 14,255 units (-1.7%)

Among large cubes, the distribution of sales by category has undergone a slightly different development: while the number of registrations of scooters over 125cc is also increasing, that of road vehicles remains at the level observed at the end of 2006: very close to 75, 5% of sales.

The customs / choppers are doing well (they go from 4.1 to 4.5%), but it is on the off-road side that the shoe pinches: -1.9% of PDM compared to 2006 … The weather – again! – but also and mostly ? – uncertainty about the future of the green motorcycle (read) seem to be the main responsible for this decline.

Regarding sales by brands, Kawasaki narrowly misses the second step in June! With 2,581 registrations, the Greens overtake Honda (2,122) and are placed a few lengths behind Suzuki (2,604), "thanks" to the late arrival in concessions of its Z750 and Z1000, which respectively elapsed at 1,451 (!) and 239 copies in June 2007.

Cumulatively, Kawa still lags behind last year’s results with -6.3% at the end of the first six months, but Patrick Marchal, marketing manager at Kawasaki France, is confident: "the Z750 could well be the best selling two-wheeler in France by the end of 2007".

Honda has a half-year report comparable to that of Kawa: -7.2% for the world number one which closed last month with a decline of 7.9% compared to June 2006. The rest of the summer could well be in the same vein.

However, his Hornet 600 had a very good month of June: 3rd best seller, it sold 562 copies. But the French bikers are visibly sensitive to the acronym "750" of the Z, more flattering than the 600 which adorn the Hornet, the Fazer (732 sales) or the GSR (427)…

The maxi-roadster sector is also not to be neglected: Kawasaki and Yamaha sold 239 Z1000 and 233 FZ1 respectively last month. But the capricious weather seems to have served Honda better on this occasion: 303 CBF 1000 ABS found takers. The Hornet 1000 can therefore still refine its output !

Last year, the FZ1 sold 535 copies, two more than the FZ6! This partly explains the disappointing month of June 2007 that the brand made in tuning forks compared to June 2006 (2,604 sales against 3,008 last year). It even goes negative over the first six months with a drop of -1.2%.

Still in the lead, Suzuki saw its sales decline in June with a drop of -5.3%. Its growth in the first half of the year was therefore + 0.9%, i.e. delivery of 137 additional vehicles compared to 2006, for a total of 14,649 units..

The first manufacturer to present its new 2008 models (read), Suz does not have one, but two bestsellers: the Bandit 650 (487 sales in June) and the GSR (427). To these two roadsters is added a third more discreet: the SV650 whose naked and S models are recorded separately (respectively 170 and 116 registrations).

Note that this month, the stainless Yamaha Tmax (525 sales) is joined in the top 15 by the Suzuki Burgman 650 (177), which confirms the interest that some A license holders have in maxi-scooters.

BMW for its part ends the first half with an increase in sales of 2.3%. The milestone of 4,500 motorcycles is crossed and the German could well exceed 8,000 registrations for the second year in a row !

His R1200RT is faithful to the post (9th sale with 242 copies) and his R1200R and R1200GS are respectively 19th and 21st best sales in more than 125 cc. The K range struggles a little more to seduce, no model reaching the top 100 in motorcycle sales.

Behind the Bavarian manufacturer, the fight for the 4% of PDM is intensifying! Harley-Davidson now represents 4.27% of sales in France (4.88% in June alone), its Sporster XL1200R rising to 87th place in the top 100 last month.

Triumph shows a slight decline in its sales (-4.8%), however foreseeable since in June 2006 the British had sold almost 100 Daytona 675. A nice score that the Hinckley factory would be able to reproduce – or beat? – with its stripped version: the Street Triple !

Like every summer, Ducati saw its market share climb with 3.23% in June against 2.55% over the whole of the first half, while KTM suffered the opposite effect: the Austrian represented 2.67 % of sales last month versus 3.59% in the first six months of 2007.

Finally, Piaggio retains its 10th place thanks to its GTS 250, MP3 250 and its "big" X8 and X9. Behind the Italian are two other transalpine: Aprilia (133 registrations) and Moto Guzzi (113). Follow Buell (100), Gilera (80), Gas Gas (54), MV (49), Peugeot (46), Beta (41), HM (35), Husqvarna (30), Kymco (27), Sherco (22 ), Scorpa (20, Hyosung (19) and Sym (14). At the same time, Voxan sold 8 motorcycles, Benelli 12 and Enfield 7.

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