Business – Motorcycle and scooter market: the French still have the virus! –

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Motorcycle and scooter market: the French still have the virus !

Business - Motorcycle and scooter market: the French still have the virus! -

The French still love motorcycles as much … and are buying more and more! This is the very positive observation of the year 2019 established by the International Automobile and Motorcycle Union Chamber.. Explanations, comparisons, developments and apprehensions: the CSIAM takes stock.

Following the 8.7% jump in French motorcycle sales in 2018, motorcycle and scooter manufacturers reasonably expected the market to stabilize in 2019. Now the – who, we all thank them, actively support their motorcycle newspaper favorite, his independence and his impertinence! – have known for several weeks that he has thrived again.

  • MNC special file :
  • MNC special file :

"The year 2019 confirms the very good performance of the French two-three-wheel motor market in 2019 for all displacements", observe in turn the CSIAM and its members whose sales have grown significantly overall this year: + 12.6% for 125 cc and + 11.7% for over 125 cc.

According to the International Automobile and Motorcycle Union Chamber, "the market fundamentals, already identified in 2018, are maintained: renewal of the offer, new look at motorized two-wheelers as a very relevant sustainable mobility solution in the face of city congestion and strikes in transport ".

Asked about the real impact of strikes and other demonstrations – yellow vests, white coats, checked shirts or red caps – in 2019 on the 125 cc market (scooters and small "utility" motorcycles), the professionals agree. But according to them, the medium displacement also benefit !

"The sector of" more than 500 cc "has climbed by + 30%", specifies Jean-Luc Mars (president of the CSIAM and general manager of Triumph France) who underlines the presence on the market of motorcycles "relatively affordable and very pleasant. like the MT-07, the 790 Duke, the CB650R, etc. "… without forgetting" its "Street Triple 660, nor the Z650 and Z900 !

No, motorcycles haven’t gotten too expensive

Despite their constant increase and criticized by bikers – including MNC -, motorcycle prices would not be excessive, on the contrary: "when I discovered the motorcycle in 1977, a 1000 cc (Suzuki GS, Honda CBX, Yamaha XS, etc.) was worth 22,000 francs for a minimum wage of around 1400 francs. Today, the minimum wage is 1,500 euros (1,200 euros net, Ed), which makes a GSX-R1000 at 17,000 euros proportionally more affordable, calculates Mister March.

If the mathematical demonstration is irrefutable, it fails to take into account that in 40 years, the expenditure items of French households have greatly changed on the one hand (real estate, food and – taxes on – fuels n ‘have never been so expensive) and have multiplied on the other hand (leisure, high-tech equipment, "low cost" travel)…

For some observers, however, the rise in the market is enough to prove that the prices are in no way prohibitive. Thus, the R1250GS and Adventure, which are among the best sales of motorcycles in France (6,080 units in all in 2019!) Are mainly purchased with packs, options and accessories which add significantly to the bill..

“The GoldWing, which broke its sales records in 2018, has never been so expensive,” adds Fabrice Recoque, director of the motorcycle division at Honda in France. So, have motorcycles really become too expensive? The debate remains open !

The French love the moto-boulot-virolos-dodo

Small and medium-sized engines are not the only ones to simplify the lives of the French: despite their size and the imagination they seek to convey (long trips, great adventures, etc.), "the big trails all roll the days in our country ", observes Vincent Thommeret, boss of Yamaha Motor France.

According to Mister Mars, "commuting" (or "moto-boulot-dodo" if you prefer) remains a French specificity which effectively boosts motorcycle sales. But the "leisure and pleasure" dimension would also be growing: practical, motorcycles are also appreciated for their playfulness. !

The arrival of new models meeting the Euro5 standard has also prompted motorcyclists and scooter riders to change machines. Can we also consider that the manufacturers are satisfied with the programmed or foreseeable traffic restrictions in our large cities? ?

Vincent Thommeret replied in the negative because "customers do not come to a dealership to buy a Tracer 900 on the pretext that their Fazer 600 can no longer enter Paris during the week. About 80% of motorcycles taken over by our network are less than five years old".

The old bikes that pollute – but run less, or hardly at all ?! – still have a future on the second-hand market – which is doing very well, thank you for it – whether in our countryside or even further abroad !

Euro 5 or without particular criticism, rental or purchase ?

Another lever on which manufacturers rely to sell their brand new vehicles: rental with an option to purchase which represents "a little over 20% of motorcycle sales in France, against 40% in the automobile industry … and 80% of cars currently sold in Great Britain ", reports" ze "president" of ze "CSIAM.

The implication: the LOA’s room for improvement remains enormous! Manufacturers, delighted to sell new motorcycles and scooters to their loyal customers every three years, naturally push this type of practice into the spirit of the times: a motorcycle thus costs "as much" per month as the house, the telephone or the sports Club.

Aged on average 46 years, French buyers of new motorcycles nevertheless retain a special bond with their machine, which they not only like to use, but also to own. The proportion of LOA is also reduced by the existence of consumer loans at extremely low rates … At Honda, they represent half of the financing (via the brand or a bank).

The holding of the Mondial de Paris in 2018 would also have contributed to boost sales of motorcycles and scooters in Paris and its periphery in any case. Triumph, which has equipped its stand and its ten dealers in Ile-de-France with Wi-Fi terminals, would have picked up 180,000 different (anonymous) signals at the Porte de Versailles show.

"We did not note an influx over the following 15 days", concludes the "big boss" of the English brand in France, "but over the 15 months, yes". So do manufacturers have an interest in participating in the next Peer Show this year? Answers evolve…

80% of the manufacturers to attend the Paris show

With a "no!" in the majority last September, the manufacturers who have met several times with the organizer (AMC) to redefine their needs and projects have passed 80% "yes" (in terms of volumes in France): the four Japanese, the British and the two Americans are starting.

Based in Saint-Priest, KTM is amply satisfied with "its" salon in Lyon, which ideally precedes the opening of the commercial season. The regional event – an adjective which has nothing pejorative – is hailed by the entire profession for its success: the "Mondial de la region Ile-de-France" should be inspired by it !

"The Mondial which cost a fortune and wanted to place itself in front of all the others must be more pragmatic in terms of investment and be more focused on the Ile-de-France clientele", suggests Christophe Decultot, vice-president of Honda Motor Europe..

In 2019, in the whole of Europe (geographic Europe, 37 countries including Bosnia and Turkey), "all the markets grew by + 7.9% to reach 1.7 million vehicles, better result of the last eight years. Sales of motorcycles amount to 701,000 vehicles, scooters and 3-wheelers associated with 484,000 units, the 50 cc scooters to 318,000 and the 50 cc non-scooters to 197,000 vehicles ", specifies the union chamber.

In France, the moped market (the 50 cc that MNC does not study) started again in 2019: "after a severe 2018 (-32%, mainly because of the switch to Euro 4, Editor’s note), it resumes +24 % increase despite competition from alternative means of urban transport, electric bikes and personal transport vehicles ".

France in Europe … and in 2020 with the Coronavirus ?

In total, thanks to its 306,977 registrations of motorcycles and scooters of all types and all engine sizes, France "remains solid and leader in Europe, ahead of Italy (260,522), Spain (215,327), Germany (193,076), Turkey (152,196) and the United Kingdom (107,551) ".

The CSIAM also wishes to underline "the strong growth of electric two-wheelers, motorcycles and scooters, whose registrations rose from 53,500 machines in 2018 to 80,402 in 2019, an increase of + 50.2%". In France, among the "125 cc and more", only the C Evolution continues to "connect" the French. Harley-Davidson’s Livewire and Zero Motorcycles just do the extras.

Last question addressed during this meeting: how will the French motorcycle market behave in 2020? The brand managers in France consider that growth is possible. They would have even predicted it, although they are wary of the enormous uncertainties continually hanging over the economy, both French and global….

On the other hand, builders are also suspicious of the Coronavirus as the plague (ahem). And their concerns are well founded: the and the. From an industrial point of view, the consequences could be serious, but would not be noticeable until this summer, once the stocks of the first half of the year have elapsed..

"Manufacturers get their supplies from Showa, Bosch or Brembo", describes Jean-Luc Mars. "However, these brands buy parts and components from other companies which themselves depend on other suppliers or directly on the producers of raw materials." It is therefore impossible to control and guarantee the supply and operation of factories…

Finally, the brands fear above all and in the immediate future a significant drop in the number of visits to their dealers. "People are less likely to leave their homes, this could impact sales of motorcycles and scooters", considers the CSIAM. Case to follow on MNC, stay tuned !

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