In Europe, 2022 wasn’t exactly a stellar year for the motorcycle industry. While some countries witnessed modest, single-digit growth, other countries like France experienced a decline, more specifically, a 6.2-percent drop in sales. This was largely attributed to global economic and political issues which resulted in the scarcity of raw materials as well as the disruption of trade lines.
Now, in 2023, despite the world still having more than its fair share of problems, it appears that the motorcycle market is at least picking up steam in France. In January 2023 alone, the French market saw quite a spike in registrations, marking a growth of 8.32 percent versus January 2022. For reference, a total of 11,494 new two-wheelers were registered in January 2023, as against 10,611 new bikes in the same period of 2022.
Unsurprisingly, the big four Japanese manufacturers are all part of the top 10 manufacturers for January in France. In particular, Honda takes the top spot with 1,597 new bikes bearing the Honda emblem being registered. This accounts for 23.81 percent of the market. Meanwhile, in second place is another Japanese manufacturer, Yamaha, with 1,597 new two-wheelers exchanging hands in January, 2023. Likewise, Yamaha holds a 13.9-percent market share as of January, 2023. In third place, BMW Motorrad holds 12 percent of the market thanks to a total of 1,388 motorcycles sold in January, 2023.
It’s also worth noting that there were some manufacturers that enjoyed a massive increase in sales in January. For example, Royal Enfield’s sales grew by 29.1 percent. Surprisingly, more folks bought Suzuki motorcycles, too, as its sales grew by 45.6 percent. KTM also enjoyed a staggering 71.4-percent sales spike in January 2023, as against the same period last year. Lastly, Harley-Davidson’s sales also enjoyed tremendous growth, with an 82.6-percent increase in January, 2023.
On the flipside of the equation, there were also brands that suffered a decline in sales. For example, Piaggio suffered a 3.95-percent decline, and so too did Triumph, with a drop of 27.9 percentage points.
With all the new and exciting models in the pipeline for 2023, market performance is expected to be rather volatile, as nearly all manufacturers are set to debut new machines this year. For example, the Suzuki V-Strom 800 and GSX-8S, as well as the Honda Transalp 750 are all slated to hit the market in 2023, and could massively affect each of the company’s sales performance.
