2021 has turned out to be a year of recovery for many players in the global motorcycle game. Even Suzuki, who seems to have been resting on its laurels in terms of innovation for the last 15 years posted decent sales growth last year. Conversely, 2020 was by far the worst year in recent memory, not just for the motorcycle industry, but for the world in general. Needless to say, COVID-19 threw a spanner in the works of multiple industries.
As such, 2021, and hopefully 2022, will be even better for our beloved motorcycle industry. Yamaha, for instance, has posted decent growth in 2021. Although its sales figures aren't exactly where they were in 2019 before the pandemic hit, progress is still progress, and Yamaha looks to be headed in the right direction. In 2020, Yamaha saw a massive 25-percent decline versus 2019 numbers. For 2021, Yamaha was able to sell 4.5 million motorcycles and scooters all across the world, translating to a respectable 18-percent spike from 2020.
In 2021, Yamaha's revenue from selling all those bikes shot up to 7.7 billion Euros—even higher revenue than that of 2019. German motorcycling publication Motorrad Online shared a pretty interesting analysis as to why Yamaha has made more money despite selling fewer bikes. As it would turn out, Europe has been a key market for the Japanese manufacturer, as riders in the region have greatly favored Yamaha's premium, up-spec models. With updates to nearly all of Yamaha's big bike model range rolled out in 2021, it's no surprise that Team Blue has covered lots of ground in Europe.
Motorrad Online goes deep into the details highlighting that in 2019, the average revenue per unit was at 7,139 Euros, or around $8,067 USD. In 2021, Yamaha's average sales per unit shot up to 8,000 Euros, or around $9,000—a tad more expensive than the retail price of the new Yamaha XSR700. This means that Yamaha sold more expensive bikes as opposed to more affordable bikes in Europe.
Meanwhile, Yamaha's performance in other markets, in particular Africa and Latin America has also shown a lot of improvement. Across these two regions, Yamaha sold 38-percent more bikes in 2021 than in 2020, hinting at the huge market potential these regions present themselves with. On top of this, Yamaha's more expensive bikes are also beginning to gain favor with customers in these regions.
