Market reports – Gregory Lejosne: a second semester under the sign of renewal – Used YAMAHA

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Gregory Lejosne: a second semester under the sign of renewal

Market reports - Gregory Lejosne: a second semester under the sign of renewal - Used YAMAHA

With 24,010 registrations, Yamaha posted a decrease of -17.7% on the French motorcycle market. Gregory Lejosne, Sales Director of Yamaha France, establishes for Site the 2013 balance sheet of the Japanese brand and reveals its objectives for 2014.

Site: What do you think of the general evolution of the French motorcycle market in 2013? ?
Gregory Lejosne, Commercial Director of Yamaha Motor France: The showed a decrease of -13.84% and actively fought against the economic realities and the bad weather conditions of the to support the sales. The network has been particularly active with a strong mobilization on the ground, in order to be always closer to our customers.

MNC: What is your assessment of your year, in 125 and large cubes? ?
G. L .: The is "the" market that suffered the most with a drop of -22%. Yamaha’s decline of -21.5% is in line with the market trend. However, we are satisfied with our performance with the, which confirms its bestseller position on the French market in all categories..

At les, we had two periods in 2013. A first semester where we deployed a major action plan to support our range (financing offer, trials, etc.) in an exacerbated competitive environment (new products, promotions, etc.) ). And a second semester marked by the renewal of our range with the launch of, and of course the with 1,133 registrations in the last quarter, which positions this novelty as a market bestseller over this period..

MNC: Are you fully satisfied with the results of your best sales: Xmax 125 and 400, Tmax 530 and XJ6 ?
G. L .: Obviously yes and these performances perfectly illustrate Yamaha’s vocation as a generalist brand, which manages to seduce both in the "premium" segment with high-tech models such as the, which is at the top of sales with the X-max 125 cc , but also in the "entry market" segment with its excellent price / performance compromise, which occupies 4th place in the "more than 125 cc motorcycle" market. Finally, a very good surprise with the X-max 400, whose qualities in terms of design, performance and price made it possible to achieve 965 registrations over six months..

MNC: In comparison, the performance of your YBR 125, FZ8 or Super Tenere seems to be lower. How do you explain it ?
G. L .: The choice of a generalist is to position himself in all segments. Some are more fashionable than others, so their sales potential is not the same. However, the 125 cc motorcycle at Yamaha was sold in accordance with the plan we had set for ourselves. The same goes for the. The is an exceptional twin which is endowed with the technology "traction control" adjustable in three modes (sport / standard / tourism). It lacked a major asset to position itself as an affordable GT, it is done in 2014 with the equipped with electronically adjustable suspensions and a new engine mapping..

MNC: How has the second-hand market behaved? How important was this year to your network ?
G. L .: The is indicative of the health of our market. With a market of 505,000 units, in 2013 almost four times more used vehicles were sold than new vehicles. I remind you that the ratio was only 1 to 2. This reality confirms the solidity of the two-wheeler, but also the responsibility of a general manufacturer to satisfy our customers with an offer located in a varying price range. from 4500 to 6500 euros.

MNC: In your opinion, did your new products for 2013 (FJR1300, XV1900A Midnight Star CFD) pass their first year? ?
G. L .: The year 2013 closed with a growth of + 24%. This result is fully in line with our plans, even if the late introduction of the versions (electronically controlled suspensions) and (semi-automatic gearbox) undoubtedly limited the commercial performance of 2013. Ditto for the very late arrival of the . For the French market, the commercial issues will rest more on the which will be introduced in spring 2014.

MNC: What was the good surprise 2013 ?
G. L .: The extraordinary reception of the by our customers. The competitiveness of this model, both in terms of performance and price positioning, allows us to rejuvenate our customers..

MNC: What was the worst ?
G. L .: The significant erosion of which was confirmed in 2013.

MNC: In your opinion, what was the highlight of 2013 in the world of two-wheelers? ?
G. L .: The is an event that mobilizes the energy of all two-wheelers in France. His success is an encouraging indicator for the 2014 season !

MNC: How were your new products for 2014 (MT-09, MT-07, Xmax 125 and 250, XT1200ZE, SR400 and Tricity) received by your network and by all bikers ?
G. L .: Our dealers and our customers we met since the Paris Motor Show are very enthusiastic. All of these new features open a new era for Yamaha which once again demonstrates that the strength of innovation is part of the brand’s DNA. A significant effort is made on the price positioning. The will be offered for less than € 4,000. The MT-09 is at € 7999 and I can already tell you that the will be offered at € 5699 (+500 euros for ABS, Editor’s note) from the second half of March.

MNC: What are your good resolutions for 2014 ?
G. L .: The quality and involvement of our team enabled us to confirm our position as market leader in 2013. We are starting 2014 as a challenger, but with legitimate ambitions for growth. In partnership with the network, we are going to deploy a program whose objective is to continue to improve the level of service quality and merchandising in stores in compliance with the criteria laid down by the brand at European level. Naturally, we will animate our markets with numerous actions (running, testing, customer outings, etc.). The network and all of our teams will be mobilized to be ever closer to our customers … the quality of our 2014 offer requires !

MNC: What are your major events in 2014 ?
G. L .: The success of Yamaha’s promotional races will be one of our major events: with the third season of the and the arrival of the MT-9s and the PW Cup to discover the champions of tomorrow! I do not forget all of our partners who support us on these events.

MNC: To conclude, what Yamaha Motor France ordered from Santa Claus this year ?
G. L .: Sunshine! … and a less anxiety-provoking "economico-political" environment. The victory of Jorge Lorenzo in and of the many "official" or "support" riders that Yamaha Motor France will be keen to support throughout the season !

Interview by Matthieu BRETILLE

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