It is a measure of just how well insulated we in Australia have been from the on-going economic upheaval overseas that we probably don’t even give a thought to how badly the motorcycle industry has been affected by the on-going GFC. Sure, sales have dropped here a little but nothing like what has happened overseas. ALL the major manufacturers have taken big hits as sales slumped and concerns over on-going viability gripped the financial markets.
“Boutique” manufacturers like Ducati and Victory Motorcycles (why?) have done far better while the major players have stared down huge losses with American giant, Harley Davidson pared down so far that they were actually facing bankruptcy.
Japanese manufacturers, used to selling large quantities, found themselves price-cutting just to shift stock and all of them recorded more than 25% reductions in sales across the board in all markets except Asia. In the USA, it has been revealed that Suzuki did not import a single unit to the US in 2010, concentrating on selling and shifting around inventoried stock.
But, it seems things are looking up. For the first time since 2008, Suzuki have recorded a trading profit in motorcycle sales, their first since the 2nd quarter of that year. It’s to be hoped that the other “majors” start showing a similar turn-around as the implications of such on-going gloom cannot be good.
