Majority premium motorcycle brands, with Kawasaki and Harley-Davidson being exceptions, have reported a negative growth in July.
The month of July saw most premium two-wheeler manufacturers hike prices of their products. Tax slab for above 350cc motorcycles was raised by 1% and except a handful, all premium bikes saw an upwards price revision. Expectedly, many manufacturers recorded a decline in sales with Kawasaki and Harley-Davidson being the only two brands to show a positive MoM growth. Generally speaking, July is a dry season for motorcycle sales due to the monsoons.
As is evident from previous sales reports, Triumph was right behind Harley-Davidson in the race. While the American icon continues to hold the second spot in the sales charts, things at Triumph seem to be going downhill. With dwindling sales of 25 units in July as opposed to 131 units sold in June 2017, Triumph products are indeed struggling hard to keep up with other players. Kawasaki, which saw its sales doubling, has taken the third position from Triumph.
The Street 750 and Street Rod, at 111 and 70 units respectively, are raking in the numbers for Harley-Davidson. Their 2018 Softail line-up, if launched in our country, will help them maintain the lead in the coming years. Following its split with Bajaj Auto this April, Japan-based Kawasaki has sustained good numbers in the industry with its Z900 and Ninja 1000 managing 48 and 20 units respectively.
The fire-breathing ZX-14R found three takers while the entry-level Ninja 300, despite its overpriced tag, sold 31 units. Except Kawasaki, all the Japanese players have shown dismal performance. Riding on the success of the Hayabusa, Suzuki managed to sell a total of 15 units. Honda sold only 4 units of the CBR650F while Yamaha products failed to find even a single taker.
Austrian brand KTM continues to rule the roost with its value-for-money motorcycles. The 390 series, at 927 units, saw a dip in sales which was balanced out with the 200 range marking a 29% improvement in sales. This goes to show the shifting preference of our market. Outdated and overpriced products are facing the heat in front of new and modern entrants. On a different note, Royal Enfield has been excluded from the list this time. Their evergreen product portfolio now finds place in the performance category of our sales reports.
Premium Motorcycle Sales July 2017
– Kawasaki records double sales in July, trumps Triumph
– Triumph sales decline to 25 units from 131 units in June
– KTM and Harley-Davidson at top spot, Street 750 manages 111 units
– Honda, Suzuki register dismal sales, no sales from Yamaha
