The European motorcycle market has been on a rollercoaster ride for the past two years. Thanks to dramatic growth in Eastern European countries such as Poland, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, and Slovakia, Euro sales figures were on the rise by the end of 2019. Of course, like all industries, the moto market ran into a buzzsaw in 2020 due to the COVID-19 health crisis, but manufacturers started to move more units after that initial lull.
Despite the volatility of the pandemic era market, European territories have remained steady over the course of 2021. By January, 2022, the region experienced a 22-percent spike in two-wheeler sales compared to the same month in 2021. Unfortunately, the buying frenzy fizzled out shortly after, with March, 2022, only improving on March, 2021, numbers by 2.5 percent.
Overall, the Euro market finished Q1 2022 with 341,869 units sold, an eight-percent increase over the first three months of 2021. However, the shrinking sales figures could hint at waning interest among consumers. Due to months of high demand and reduced COVID-19 regulations, many manufacturers expected to carry the 2021 momentum into the new year but production remains inconsistent as a result of supply chain shortages and resource challenges.
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine also poses problems for the industry. Many anticipated that economic expansion and electric vehicles replacing petrol-powered counterparts would drive the market in 2022, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threw a spanner in the works. Energy prices have spiked in Europe following the conflict, but electric alternatives aren’t yet available on a mass scale.
In addition to fuel and energy price increases, fast-growing inflation will also impact consumers’ purchasing power. Separately, brands like BMW and Ducati have already posted positive Q1 2022 sales figures, but most analysts and forecasters believe that the European market will continue to slide until the Russian and Ukrainian conflict is resolved.
