FCAI RELEASE 7/07/2020
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), the peak body for the automotive industry in Australia, today released the first half figures for 2020, for the sale of new motorcycles, All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and Side by Side Vehicles (SSVs) – and the news is very positive. Overall, a total of 52,838 vehicles were sold from January to June 2020, in comparison to 42,457 during the same period in 2019. This represents a strong 24.5 per cent increase in sales, a bright spot in an economic environment that has been predominantly negative over the past four months. Tony Weber, chief executive of the FCAI, welcomed the positive sales results. “It is wonderful to see some strong sales from our member motorcycle brands,” Mr Weber said. “A year-on-year increase of 24.5 per cent is significant, and signals improving conditions for both members and dealers,” Mr Weber said.
The popularity of these two segments are thought to be a direct result of the COVID19 pandemic. Tony Weber explained: “People can’t go for overseas holidays, and for quite some time, they couldn’t even go for holidays within Australia. So, we believe that, instead of spending up big on expensive family vacations, people are treating themselves in different ways – and this could mean they are taking up new sports like trail bike riding. “ATVs and SSVs are also popular, and we understand this is due to the Government’s instant asset write-off program which makes the purchase of farm machinery and equipment very attractive at the present time,” Mr Weber said.
Road bikes and Scooters did not enjoy the same increase in popularity as the previous two categories. Road bikes reported 15,243 sales during the first half, down 2.7 per cent on the same period last year. Scooters recorded 2,166 sales, down 12.8 per cent, for the first half of 2020.
Honda claimed the top spot YTD reporting, 12,563 sales for a 23.8 per cent market share, followed by Yamaha with 12,344 sales for 23.4 per cent share, Kawasaki with 6,545 sales for 12.4 per cent share, KTM with 4,391 sales for 8.3 per cent share and finally Suzuki with 3,594 sales for 6.8 per cent market share.
