China topped motorcycle exports worldwide, with a total of $11.957 billion in 2022, a 3% year-on-year drop, according to that nation’s General Administration of Customs.
Mostly, in the past year, Chinese motorcycles were shipped to the United States ($1.775 billion), Mexico ($727 million), the Philippines ($483 million), the Netherlands ($440 million) and Colombia ($373 million).
Total demand for motorcycles and ATVs in the United States, the largest market within North America, declined by about 6% at an annual rate in 2022, to about 730,000 units, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC).
Notably, Honda’s consolidated unit sales in North America increased 5.0% in fiscal 2023, ended March 31, to 459,000 units, largely due to increases in unit sales of Navi and Dio models, primarily in Mexico.
Motorcycle exports
According to Evil Empire Designs, prior to the 2009 recession, the largest market segment during the previous five years was comprised of middle-aged men.
With the aging of these consumers and the recession, motorcycle manufacturers saw their sales decline.
In the United States, Harley-Davidson, the industry’s largest manufacturer, posted a 23.4 percent sales decline. In response, the industry looked for new segments to exploit: expanding overseas, targeting younger/newer riders and women.
The electric vehicle transportation industry is poised for major growth, while the internal combustion industry is expected to continue to decline simultaneously.
According to a survey conducted by Zap-Map, less than 1% of electric vehicle owners want to return to gasoline-powered vehicles.
In the opinion of Curtiss Motorcycle Company, the motorcycle industry is typically 20 years, or more, behind the automotive industry.
The luxury battery electric car sector is filling out: Tesla is leading the way, but Cadillac, Lucid, Porsche, Canoo, Rivian and others are hot on their heels.
While there are currently other electric motorcycle manufacturers (e.g., Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire, Zero Motorcycle, Cake, etc.), none have really entered the luxury segment.
