For the first nine months of 2023, the European motorcycle market has enjoyed a substantial increase in sales. A recent report by the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) states that from January to September 2023, a total of 873,985 new motorcycles were registered in key markets in the old continent.
For reference, 2022, which was also a strong year for the European market, saw 781,839 new motorcycle registrations from January to September. For 2023, this figure grew by an impressive 11.8 percent, with 873,985 new motorcycle registrations in the same period.
It’s worth noting that Italy seems to be the strongest market for two-wheelers, as it enjoyed the biggest growth of 19.4 percent, registering a total of 271,552 new two-wheelers. Spain comes in second with 154,019 marking a 13.4 percent spike. In third place, Germany registered 9.6 percent growth thanks to 190,490 new registrations. France sits in third with an 8.7-percent increase with 168,118 units registered. Meanwhile, the UK enjoyed stable sales figures with 89,806 registrations marking a 0.4-percent decline.
While motorcycles enjoyed a substantial uptick in sales figures, the same, unfortunately, cannot be said for mopeds. From January to September 2023, only 155,098 mopeds were registered, a drop of 25 percent as against last year’s 206,927. For reference, ACEM’s report consists only of France, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Belguy, and Spain. Mopeds occupy a rather murky space in the world of two-wheelers, as their categorization varies per region. In Europe, they’re generally considered L1eB and L2e for two and three-wheelers respectively. Meanwhile, some regions include L1e-A vehicles (certain e-bikes) as mopeds, too.
In ACEM’s report, Secretary General Antonio Perlot stated that there has been sustained enthusiasm for two-wheelers both when it comes to leisure and commuting. “Strong growth of the European market in the first nine months highlights consumers’ sustained long-term interest in powered two-wheelers, both for daily commuting and for leisure. Early figures for October confirm the positive trend for motorcycles, with moped volumes partially recovering.” Indeed, following EICMA 2023, the motorcycle market is clearly booming, with more and more new models expected to hit the scene – both electric and internal combustion – for the 2024 model-year.
Finally, it’s worth noting that ACEM’s report, while painting a good picture of the European motorcycle industry, doesn’t cover all the brands that occupy the two-wheeler space. ACEM members include 18 manufacturers such as BMW, Ducati, KTM, MV Agusta, Piaggio, and Triumph, as well as the Japanese big four. It’s worth noting that new players – particularly those from China – are not represented in this report, so sales figures are likely much higher than the previously mentioned 873,985 new registrations.
