June marks another month of contraction in what is proving to be a year of fluctuation and uncertainty for the new two-wheeler market”, says Symon Cook, head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA), commenting on the latest MCIA registration figures.
In June, total registrations decreased by 5.8%, from 13,518 to 12,734 units. Within those figures, motorcycle sales fell by 5.8%, while moped registrations increased by 0.8% to 487 units. Year-to-date figures show a slight decline of 0.7% for total registrations.
The various categories of motorcycles exhibited a wide range of performances. Modern classic witnessed growth of 23.4%, and road sport rose 25.7%. However, nakeds saw a significant decrease of 16.4%.
Electric two-wheelers saw a substantial contraction of 3.8% from 452 to 435 units. Despite this, year-to-date figures still show a slight increase of 0.2% for electric from 1924 to 1927 units.
In terms of the different ICE capacities, the 126-500cc category witnessed growth of 23.6%, whereas the larger engines saw a decrease, with 751-1000cc contracting by 14.4% and 1000cc+ contracting by 6.2%.
Honda once again emerged as the best-selling brand of the month, with 2097 units sold, followed by Triumph (1649) and Yamaha (1285), whilst Ducati rounded out the top ten with 363 models sold.
Cook concluded: “With the results of the general election now clear, there are certain challenges in the two-wheeler market which the next government will need to immediately address. Much like the weather this summer, the market has been uncertain, with year-to-date figures slightly below the corresponding period of the previous year.
“In the build-up to the general election, the NMDA released its manifesto, which included five key ‘asks’ to the new Labour government, including providing a clear pathway for the decarbonisation of L-category vehicles and streamlining licensing and training for younger riders.
“With the election now over, the NMDA looks forward to working with the new government on these core issues over the coming months and years, which will be vital for our industry to ensure robust growth.”