Italy’s bike sales figures for September include the first sign of a positive market movement after 17 straight months of uninterrupted decline across all sectors, according to latest data from Italian industry association ANCMA.
This success story was an 8.3 per cent increase in monthly motorcycle registrations to 3643 units. The other registered sector, over-50cc scooters, fell by a relatively modest (in recent terms) 5.1 per cent to 8702 units. Mopeds continued on the rocky road to ruin, down by 25.4 per cent to 2976 units.
However, this is hardly earth-shattering news as the selling season winds down and figures for the nine months of 2013 to date make for a more sobering read. Motorcycle sales across that period dropped by 11.8 per cent to 46,336 units, scooters shrank by 24.9 per cent to 86,419 units and mopeds plummeted by 37.1 per cent to 26,295 units.