2023-07-07 15:56:15
Sales of motorized two-wheelers in the first half remained lower than those achieved over the same period last year.
In a context of above-average rainfall in the spring, the market contracted by 6.9% to 28,582 units, according to the latest count from Motosuisse.
“Given the spring, which has hardly taken place due to the heavy rainfall, we can be satisfied with these figures”, said the president of the umbrella organization Jürg Bucher on Friday, stressing in passing that the market is holding steady at a high level, above that of 2019, the last financial year before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
With 17,573 new registrations (-5.4%) from January to the end of June, the motorcycle segment held up better than that of scooters, down 8.1%, falling back below the 10,000 unit mark. With the exception of displacements between 125 and 250 cm3 (+11.1% to 2,074) and the largest of the 750 to 1,000 cm3 (+13.3% to 4,846), all categories showed a decline.
Asked regarding the impact of the surge in inflation on customers, the president of Motosuisse believes that a certain restraint in spending concerns all sectors, “but given the encouraging figures on the market, the consequences are not yet serious. in our branch”. However, the umbrella organization does not have detailed data on price trends and the share of sales financed by credit or leasing.
Trolling Electric
As for electric vehicles, enthusiasm remains very limited in terms of motorcycles, with only 241 new vehicles put into circulation (-9.4%), while 1,366 scooters in this category were sold, representing market share by 1.4% and 14% respectively. “For motorcycling, the industry is not yet able to offer sophisticated and attractive solutions in terms of price,” explains Motosuisse.
In the manufacturers’ ranking, the Japanese Honda and Yamaha occupy the first two places with a comfortable lead, while the Italian Vespa – yet exclusively present in the scooter segment – completes the podium. The Yamaha MT07 mid-displacement motorcycles and the new Honda CB750 are the most popular models among Swiss customers, with 579 and 442 machines sold respectively.
While supply problems are gradually getting better, it is now the lack of qualified personnel that is putting the branch under pressure. “There is very clearly a shortage in all areas, not just mechanics, but also salespeople and managers,” worries Jörg Bucher, who describes the situation as “very serious”.
The professional union of the branch (2roues Suisse), in charge of the training of specialists, is hard at work to try to remedy this phenomenon, by striving to improve the image of the profession and the training and “to make the different areas even more attractive”, points out the boss of Motosuisse.
This article has been published automatically. Source: ats/awp
1688791023
#Motorcycle #market #coughing #months
