In Italy, the last quarter of 2022 proved to be a strong period for the motorcycle industry. Particularly, December 2022 saw a notable increase in sales, with a 4.55 percentage point increase versus December 2021. This translates to 2,700 more two-wheelers on the road versus the previous year.
If we look at things from a yearly prospective, the entirety of 2022 saw a 0.95-percent increase in total motorcycle sales in Italy, as against 2021. As for December, 2022, let's break things down in just a little more detail. Overall, 9,200 units were sold in December, with a 4.55-percent growth versus the previous year. Unsurprisingly, scooters continue to enjoy strong sales performance, especially given the influx of new 125cc models for the beginner segment. The result is an 11.52-percent increase, with a total of 4,482 scooter registrations for the month of December, 2022.
Moving on to motorcycles—which refers generally to road-legal motorbikes—the segment also enjoyed modest growth in December, 2022, seeing a 3.95-percent increase versus the same period of the previous year. This translates to 3,763 motorcycles sold in Italy in December 2022. Now, while scooters and motorcycles may have seen a noticeable increase in sales, the same cannot be said for mopeds, which had a notable sales decline of 17.74 percent, closing the year with just 955 units sold.
Interestingly, maxi-scooters enjoyed the strongest sales performance in December, 2022. According to a report published by our friends at Motociclismo, scooters with displacements ranging from 501cc to 600cc enjoyed the biggest growth, with 6,977 units sold. This includes models like the Yamaha TMAX and Kymco AK550 maxi-scoots. As for motorcycles, the middleweight segment, with displacements ranging from 501cc to 750cc reigned supreme, with 23,853 units sold. This includes models like the Benelli TRK 502 and Yamaha MT-07.
Speaking of which, the Benelli TRK 502 has once again taken the crown of most popular motorcycle in the Italian market, closing the year with 6,645 units sold. According to Motociclismo, no other motorcycle model has managed to rake in that many sales in the past five years. For reference, the TRK 502 outsells the BMW R 1250 GS, of which 4,062 units were sold.
