Australian Motorcycle Sales Figures
2022 First Half
January 1 through June 30, 2022
Sales of road motorcycles continued to grow in the second quarter of 2022 while off-road sales contracted after a steller first half of 2021.
Figures released today that detail the Australian Motorcycle Sales Figures over the first half of 2022 indicate that the industry as a whole retailed 14.2 per cent less motorcycles, scooters and ATV/SSV compared to what had been a big first half of 2021 for the industry as a whole.
Road motorcycles though are still up, an increased of 4.8 per cent over 2021.
Scooter sales are also making a resurgence with an 11.4 per cent increase compared to the opening six months of 2021.
Off-road motorcycles had two exceptional sales years in 2020 and 2021 and in the first six months of 2022 a total of 19,406 off road motorcycles were sold. While this represents a decrease of 12.7 per cent on the same period in 2021, sales are still higher than pre-COVID years.
The sales of ATVs and side-by-side vechicles, which the FCAI now labels OHV (Off Highway Vehicles), are down 45 per cent compared to the first six months of 2021. This follows a decision by the major ATV brands to stop importing Utility ATVs into Australia due to safety concerns with the new quad bike standards for roll over protection. Abnormally high sales in previous years coincided with a huge rush by farmers to buy their favourite brands of Utility ATVs before they sold out ahead of the mandatory requirement for ROPS to be fitted to all Utility ATVs. 13,779 quads of all description were sold in the first half of 2021 but this year only 7575 have been sold. Recreational ATVs and ATVs for youngsters are not subject to the mandatory roll over protection regulations.
FCAI Motorcycle Sales Figures
2022 First Half
January 1 through June 30, 2022
- YTD Total Sales 2022 First Half – 47,929 (2021 First Half was 55,840)
- YTD Total Road Sales 2022 First Half – 18,164 (2021 First Half was 17,331)
- YTD Total Off-Road Sales 2022 First Half – 19,406 (2021 First Half was 22,231)
- YTD Total Scooter Sales 2022 First Half – 2784 (2021 First Half was 2499)
- YTD Total OHV/ATV/SSV Sales 2022 First Half – 7575 (2021 First Half was 13,779)
Industry Comment
FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said that the global automotive supply chain crunchwas also having an impact.
“Global shipping remains unpredictable. This is impacting both production of motorcycles, scooters and off-road vehicles and their freight to Australia,” Mr Weber said.
While total sales are down, road motorcycles and scooters remain important elements of Australia’s mobility network.
“With increasing congestion in our capital cities, decision makers need to be planning with road motorcycles and scooters in mind. These vehicles are an important tool in improving traffic flow, therefore reducing trip times for all road users,” Mr Weber said.
Decisions around land use planning in rural and regional areas, particularly those adjacent to population centres, need to factor in off-road motorcycle and vehicle use.
“We are seeing public land which riders have traditionally been able to access for recreation being locked up. As an industry we are calling on decision makers to consider the needs of recreational riders in land use planning decisions,” Mr Weber added.
This is not the full picture
Unfortunately these are the only figures we now receive from the official sales audit. Historically we would be able to see brand by brand and model by model performances, but the FCAI aligned brands now hold their cards close to their chest and refuse to release detailed data which is why of late you have not seen the regular detailed motorcycle sales figures analysis by model segment and model that we generally brought to you each quarter on MCNews.com.au. New Zealand have a transparent mechanism with public reporting of registration data on a monthly basis but here it has all gone a bit secret squirrel.
It should be noted that some brands are not represented in the official audit figures in relation to motorcycle sales. Their reticence to release their figures to the audit body and be part of the FCAI seems to be the catalyst for the FCAI brands now releasing only very limited data, seemingly to not reveal any market intelligence to the brands not aligned with the FCAI.
Brands under the Urban Moto Imports group such as Royal Enfield, Benelli, MV Agusta, Segway and Rieju are not included in the FCAI audit.
Likewise, the likes of CFMOTO, Kymco, Sherco and Landboss that come under the stewardship of Mojo Motorcycles, are not included in the sales figures as these companies are not members of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.
With the quoted 47,929 total sales in the Australian market not including sales from those brands the real figure is quite likely in excess of 60,000.
