Market reports – Kawasaki under the sign of Z – Used KAWASAKI

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Kawasaki under the Z sign

Market reports - Kawasaki under the sign of Z - Used KAWASAKI

Kawasaki ditched the 125 market but has never done so well in the big cars. Its Z roadsters are a hit and its sports are raising their heads, even if we could have hoped for better in this area. Balance sheet.

Kawasaki dropped out of the 125 market but has never done so well in big cars. Its Z roadsters are a hit and its sports are raising their heads, even if we could have hoped for better in this area. Balance sheet.

Moto-Net: 2004 was a pretty good year for Kawasaki thanks to the Z750 and Z1000 roadsters. Do you believe that the Z family still has a potential for conquest or has it reached its plateau? ?
Patrick Marchal, Kawasaki Motors France sales director: We are confident in the future of the Z family. The arrival of the S version will allow us to reach a new clientele and compete with other semi-faired models in this segment for which we had no more offer since the ZR-7S was discontinued. In 2004, the Z750 N was the best-selling "Naked" on the market. 2005 should logically allow us to compete for the best-selling motorcycle on the MTT market.

Moto-Net: The ZX10R does not meet the same success as the ZX9R while the big sports category is doing well. Why ?
P. M.: First of all, it should be noted that the ZX10 R was not marketed for a full year: its actual launch only took place in March 2004. Moreover, if we compare the results of the hypersports of the 1000 category, we see that the segment has been animated throughout the year by very strong promotions on directly competing models, GSX-R or R1 in particular, whether in terms of prices charged or the development of special versions from from previous vintages. Conversely, Kawasaki sales were made on a new model and without any promotion. We therefore consider that even if the result may appear to be behind the two mentioned competitors, the promotions put in place have distorted the market rules and boosted sales of the 1000s to the detriment of the 600s. 2005 will be a year when the classic rules of normal competition should take their place.

Moto-Net: The GTR 1000 and GPZ 500 are not replaced, the KLR 650 and the ER-5 have been frozen for ages, the KLE500 is barely given a makeover: focused on roadsters and sports cars, don’t you neglect other types of bikers ?
P. M.: Motorcycle sales evolve over time and certain types of vehicles are marginalized. The Kawasaki range is changing and, quite logically, the most promising segments at the global level benefit first from the development of new models. Some products are therefore stopped or temporarily frozen while awaiting replacement. The ER-5 remains a topical product for motorcycle schools and young drivers. As for the KLE 500, this half-urban, half-leisure trail, it retains a real attraction through its price, its versatility and its proven robustness. We are constantly working on future ranges in order to retain and expand our loyal customer base..

Moto-Net: Kawa no longer has 125 offerings while this market is growing. Do you have projects ?
P. M.: We are attentive to the evolution of this market which is growing mainly thanks to scooters. But it’s still too early to talk about our projects…

Interview by Benoît LACOSTE

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