October 2021 Registrations

UK 

09/11/2021

A fourth consecutive month of negativity in October, if fairly marginal, still kept year-to-date figures in front of 2020’s and even 2019’s headline tallies. BDN financial editor Roger Willis reports.

According to MCIA data, total monthly registrations fell by 3.8% to 8517. Motorcycles were actually 0.6% up to 5784. But scooters lost 5.5% at 2013, mopeds sank by 24.4% to 658 and trikes suffered a 41% dive to just 62. Really wet and windy autumn weather was hardly conducive to showroom footfall.

The up-to-125cc (or 11kW) mobility sector dropped by 11.2% to 4286 machines. But 126cc-plus bikes predominantly in the enthusiast/leisure firmament stayed shiny side up with a 5% rise to 4231. Perhaps the brightest news came from headline numbers 19.5% ahead of the 7126 registrations recorded in pre-Covid October 2019.

Outright highest-registered powered two-wheeler during the tenth month of 2021 was Royal Enfield’s Meteor 350 baby cruiser, thanks to 226 machines plated. It was pursued by 170 fleet-friendly samples of the Yamaha NMax 125. Leading electric steed and fourth-ranked overall was VMoto’s Super Soco CPx 4.8kW scooter on 150 units. Despite BDN advice to the contrary, the MCIA continues to count this among 1-4kW models which can be ridden on AM licences.

Running from top down in the major brands chart, Honda and Yamaha made respective 12.6% and 10.9% volume gains versus October 2020. But Lexmoto in third dived by 48.1%, presumably with a paucity of wares to sell. Triumph was 6.3% up, while KTM stock shortages elicited a 20.2% plunge. Contrary to that, BMW Motorrad put on 20.3%.

Guest appearances by MotoGB’s Keeway and SYM brands in October last year were replaced by Royal Enfield and Harley-Davidson, bracketing Piaggio’s 14.5% rise in eighth spot. Most tragic of the lot, way down on the bottom rung in tenth, Kawasaki’s registrations slumped by a horrendous 50.8%.

For the year to date against 2020, up-to-125cc mobility products rose by 12.9% to 44,748. And 126cc-plus machines enjoyed a 10.3% gain to 56,343. Total YTD registrations grew by 11.4% to 101,091. Motorcycles improved by 8.9% to 70,877, scooters were 22.9% up to 23,352, mopeds added just 2.9% to 6019 and trikes increased by 9.8% to 843. Among motorcycles, the Adventure style segment was unchallenged leader, climbing by 20.9% to 17,594 and claiming a dominant 24.8% market share.

However, YTD comparisons with the same period in pre-pandemic 2019 were less satisfactory. Although the booming up-to-125cc mobility market was an impressive 25.2% higher, larger machines at the heart of most dealers’ profitability declined by 7.1%. Taken together, they stood only 4.9% up. 

UK 

10/11/2021

“Registrations of Power Two Wheelers (PTWs) declined by -3.8% as the sector enters its off-season in the final quarter of 2021”, said Paddy O’Connell, head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA), which represents PTW dealers in the UK, commenting on the latest MCIA’s figures.

Whilst the market was down to 8,856 sales, it is important to note that the industry was responding to the pent-up demand last October after a series of lockdowns. There were also fewer issues with supply. When compared to a more ‘normal’ period of trading in October 2019, we saw 96,409 registrations. Year-to-date figures in 2021 show a 4.9% growth compared to then.

Sales of Electric Powered Two-Wheeled Vehicles (ePTWs) continued to perform well – especially in the low powered segment, with an increase of 103.3% (618 units), both overachieving year on year and adding to the 5,085 registrations year to date for 2021. 

In October, larger engine scooters (51-125cc) were dominated by the Yamaha NMAX 125 with 170 registered units. In October, Honda was the brand leader with 1,431 units registered, followed by Yamaha (897 units) and Lexmoto (571 units), completing the top three spots.

Paddy O’Connell added, “The NMDA is optimistic that the market going forward will remain steady for the remainder of the year, as long as there is the availability of stock across the entire supply chain”.

The NMDA continues to encourage members to join our quarterly meetings to find out about all of the support that NMDA membership can offer, and to get behind the #DestinationDealer campaign. This initiative is to help dealers reconnect with their customers and remind them that motorcycle and scooter showrooms are not just a place to transact, they are also a place to chat, have a coffee, look at the new products and meet up with like-minded people.