Market reports – Chinese summer in the land of two-wheelers –

Posted on by admin

Chinese summer in the land of two-wheelers

Market reports - Chinese summer in the land of two-wheelers -

The motorcycle market recorded in September a very relative decline of 2.7% compared to September 2006. However in 125, it is the small brands – especially Chinese – which allow the sector to maintain its 2006 pace…. Balance sheet.

The drop in sales of motorcycles in France in September (18,718 registrations in September 2007 against 19,230 in 2006) is almost negligible.

First of all, because it relates to a year 2006 that had broken all records (read).

Second, because September 2007 had one less working day than September 2006.

We can therefore consider that the motorcycle market is doing well: sales of 125 are equal to a few units near their score of September 2006 (-1.7%) and large cubes are only down 3.9%. A "decline" that the day in less opening of the concessions completely erases.

Finally, the most remarkable undoubtedly remains the growing market share represented by "other brands" in 125.

Last year already, Site noted the increase in sales of "small" manufacturers (read). At the end of the first nine months 2007, they represented nearly 15% of PDM. But this year, they are close to 22%, while the main players tend to downgrade.

The market for large cubes is less categorized than that of 125: there are dynamic Japanese (the Greens), calm (the Blues) or tired (the Reds and the Yellows). On the side of Western manufacturers, all post Green Site indices, except the "sporty" Italians….

Market 125: 10,476 units (-1.7%)

"There is still a long way to go to reach Yamaha’s volumes !", was notified in the monthly report for the month of October 2006 about Taiwanese, Chinese and Korean manufacturers … But already, by totaling the sales of the best-known manufacturers, we easily reach 25% of the market share in September 2007, a score well above the 17.46% and 17.23% respectively of Yamaha and Piaggio !

Thus within the top 15 sales by model, we can see the presence of four "exotic" vehicles: the Daelim S2 15th with 175 sales (against 180 for the MBK Skycruiser!), The Baotian BT125T 14th with 209 sales, the Keeway Matrix with 245 sales and finally the Sym GTS 125 (247 sales), which even figures prominently in the 2007 cumulative sales ranking: 11th !

Less expensive than the Japanese, the Italians or the French, more and more pretty and better and better finished, these ‘exotic’ vehicles have made an excellent comeback and will therefore be one to watch closely. By offering "winter" packs (aprons , protections, high bubbles) at a lower cost, Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean manufacturers could well be the stars of this end of 2007 !

But for the moment, the darling of French users remains the Xmax, sold 835 copies last month against 503 for the Burgman and 483 for the Satelis. Yamaha therefore retains the lead in the manufacturer’s ranking with 1829 registrations, but its Majesty and its YBR are running out of steam compared to last year..

The firm in tuning forks therefore sees its sales fall by almost 20% while Piaggio is tracing its pace on that of the market: -2.1%. The Italian therefore achieves the best score among "institutional" manufacturers and misses 18 copies near the first march of September.

Behind the two giants of the 125 in France, Honda has again a negative balance compared to 2006: -29.9% last month. However, its S-Wing (arrived late in the year) is in 4th place in sales by model with 407 units sold, the same score as its predecessor, the Pantheon, in September 2006 (404 sales).

But his Varadero and his CBR125R are struggling to win against the "scooter kings" … The world number one in motorcycling therefore clings to its 3rd French place in 125 with 12.53% of PDM at the end of the first nine months, compared to 17.23% for Piaggio and 18.99% for Yamaha.

Presented at the future Milan Motor Show, "the brand new little scooter"to which Florent Lionnet, the CEO of Honda Moto en Francen alluded to during his live chat with Site readers at the Paris Motor Show (read), will be"the lead 100 replacement", assures us Honda France. An" entry-level "partner (100 or 125?) who will be welcome to lend a hand to the S-Wing !

Behind, the fight for 4th place still opposes Suzuki to Peugeot: the French place his Satelis in 3rd place in September sales but cumulatively, the Sochaux manufacturer is only 6th (3,134 immates), far behind the Burgman 3rd with 4675 registrations. In addition, sales of the "Kompressed" version of the Satelis continue to decline..

A decrease that Frederic Bart, in charge of press relations at Peugeot Motocycles, wishes to highlight: "BlacKsat, the latest addition to the Satelis 125 range, is curiously included in a different category from Satelis 125 Compressor when it is the same vehicle with only more aggressive cosmetics. As a result, Compressor sales are artificially reduced, which does not correspond to reality"."Year-to-date (as of October 12), Satelis (125 + 125K) ranks 3rd with 4,816 sales versus 4,916 sales for Burgman", he even gives us a preview !

Suzuki maintains for the moment its slight lead in 125: 6113 sales in the aggregate of the first nine months against 5589 for Peugeot. Continued in the next monthly report Site !

For his part, MBK is also fighting for his 6th place, but against a Taiwanese! Indeed, Sym effectively continues its conquest of PDM (+ 107.7% in September) thanks to its GTS and its Mio100, XS125 and Attila 125, all present in the top 100 of sales by model, all engine sizes combined (see in our section "Learn more").

While last month (read), JMStar with its CJ12M and especially Skyteam (9th in the manufacturer ranking thanks to its Dax) stood out, in September it was Keeway who came under the spotlight Site !

The European brand of the Qianjiang group is indeed ranked 8th among manufacturers and hoists its Matrix to 12th place in September sales. The explosion in sales (+ 376.1%!) Is anecdotal, but its traditional marketing methods suggest that this brand will be found at the forefront more frequently than Jonway, whose registrations depend directly on the arrival of containers. ordered by supermarkets.

Daelim and Kymco for their part are striving to stabilize their sales volumes reached last year, with varying degrees of success: respectively -4.4% and -20.3% over the first nine months. Finally, Aprilia is once again absent from the monthly table of manufacturers and sees its sales continue to fall: -9.4% cumulatively…

Market over 125: 8,242 units (-3.9%)

With a drop of 3.9% and one less working day compared to September 2006, the large-engine market is doing quite well: 8242 "more than 125" were registered in France last month.

But there are striking disparities within the sector: Suzuki is the victim of a drop of 24.7% compared to September 2006, selling 1551 vehicles against 2060 last year. Main responsible for the decline of the leader 2006: the Bandit 650 … Old model !

In fact, in September 2006 the last models of the "air" Bandit were still available. The old version GSF650 had a nice September 2006 (608 immats) and the 2007 “water” Bandit naturally did not have the same success..

In the general standings, Suzuki retains the first place with 21.01% of PDM against 19.44% of Yamaha which recorded a slight increase of 3.3% in September and took the lead in monthly sales. !

The Yamaha Fazer 600 and Tmax sold better than in 2006 (respectively 434 and 345 registrations) and the R1 even allows itself an intrusion into the top 15 with 104 sales! Only the FZ1 is lagging behind last year, but still represents the best selling "over 750 cc".

Kawasaki continues its recovery: posting a worrying -30.7% at the end of the first quarter, the Ninjas are the only Japanese to be in the green at the end of the third quarter with + 3.7%.

Figures which can be explained perfectly by the late arrival of the new Zs (750 and 1000): since their release in May, the Kawa roadsters have enabled the Greens to clearly raise the bar. And in September, the Z750 was once again at the top of the model ranking with 614 immats while the 1000 even appeared in 15th place with 103 sales..

Honda sales continue to decline: the winged manufacturer lands in 4th place among manufacturers in September with 1,002 vehicles sold against 1,264 last year, a decrease of 20.7%.

The Hornet made only 276 sales in September 2007 against 220 in September 2006 for the old model. At the Mondial, the manufacturer has also given pride of place to the accessorized Hornets, offering its roadster a more sporty or even aggressive look … which would correspond better to French customers. ?

Germany’s BMW had a satisfying September, placing its tireless R1200RT in 10th place last month. The R1200GS is hiding in 16th position with 96 sales, but its F800s do not even appear in the top 100.

Undergoing competition from Japanese roadsters, entry-level Behème are also victims of the Yen which "has depreciated by 70% since 2000 against the Euro"Jean-Michel Cavret reminded Site readers during his live chat from the World Cup (read). It’s not easy to steal market share from the Z750, Fazer, Bandit and other Hornets !

Although … Triumph proves that the small roadster segment is not necessarily impregnable! With its 145 Street Triple sold, the Briton invests the middle of the table of sales by model and sees his September 2006 score improved by 53.2% last month.

The little sister of the Speed ​​Triple is making a remarkable entry into dealerships, so that the next deliveries are scheduled for the month of January … Already a victim of its success, the Triple? In any case, it will soon be tested – it was about time … – on Site !-

Sales of Harley-Davidson and KTM undergo slight increases of 4% and 5.4% respectively compared to September 2006. Whether they are "Bikers" or "Crossers", the French bikers were again at the rendezvous last month, unlike the "trackers" who shunned the beautiful Italians.

Ducati has indeed seen its sales fall by 19% and go into negative territory for the first nine months (-0.8%). Aprilia is doing even less well, registering only 53 vehicles against 103 last year: it is high time for Noale’s company to release its Shiver 750 and Mana 850 !

Piaggio on the other hand maintained its sales, taking advantage of the good health of the sector of the maxiscooters and especially of the launch of its MP3: the 400 thus found 67 takers. The Gilera Fuoco, meanwhile, has sold 56 copies, one less than the Burgman 400.

In total in September 2007, Gilera registered 75 big cubes, Moto Guzzi 71, Gas Gas 64, Peugeot 63, Buell 30, Beta 29, HM 20, MV 19, Sym 17, Scorpa and Sherco 16, Kymco 15, Enfield 12, Husqvarna 10. Let us also mention the 6 sales of Moto Morini, the 4 of Benelli and the 2 of Voxan.

Related articles

Leave a Reply

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