The Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association, Inc. (MDPPA) reported a rise of 16.7% in sales this Q1 of 2023 among its four members—Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha.
Each month of this period, approximately 149,000 motorcycles were sold, which was significantly higher than the 127,000 monthly average sold during the same time last year. In total, from January to March 2023, 447,429 motorcycles were sold, almost matching the pre-pandemic figure of 451,103 from 2019.
MDPPA President Boying Mojica expressed hopes for the strong sales performance to continue. The association forecasts a 10% growth rate for the year, considering potential challenges such as economic downturns in the US and other regions.
“We hope that the performance of the first quarter will be sustained. The market is so volatile as influenced by internal and external variables. Our conservative forecast this year is 10% growth, in light of the headwinds of imminent recession in the US and other regions. If the existing business landscape will prevail, the 1.7 million units recorded sales in 2019 may be surpassed.” ~ Boying Mojica
Sales were dominated by automatic scooters, which made up 60% of all sales (269,652 units). Business units, used for commercial purposes, comprised 18.6% of sales (83,616 units). Mopeds or underbone motorcycles, known for their affordability, accounted for 17.2% of sales (77,152 units). The remaining 4% (17,000 units) was made up of street and big bikes, typically used for leisure and off-road adventures.
