Don’t call it a comeback, because even though the US motorcycle industry beat the Motorcycle Industry Council’s projections last year, sales so far for 2013 are looking less than stellar in the first-half of the year.
Down 5.2% from January to June, motorcycle sales were hit mostly by abysmal losses in the scooter segment (23.3%), and helped along by modest losses in the on-road segment (5.3%). Adding more to the misery, dual-sports suffered a 3.4% drop in the first half of the year, though surprisingly off-road bikes showed a gain, increasing 5.4% over Q1 & Q2.
All accounted for, the MIC says that 362,500 motorcycles, scooters, and ATVs were sold the first-half of this year, compared to the 380,500 units sold in the first-half of 2012.
The news may not be all bad though, as motorcycle sales in June were up 1.9%, with off-road sales being up 10.1%, on-road sales up 1.8%, and scooter sales down only 8.6% compared to June 2012.
Considering that Q1 2013 was down 14.7% compared to Q1 of last year, the US motorcycle market has made a strong correction in Q2, though it remains to be seen if the industry can post a gain for the year.
Source: MIC
Comments