Motorbike registrations in Switzerland: mid-season review 2024
- 2024-07-25
- Businesses
Now that we have completed the 1st semester, it’s time for our detailed analysis of new motorbike sales in Switzerland for a... Read More
As we come to the end of the season, it’s time for our full analysis of the new motorcycle registrations in Switzerland in 2024.
A month ahead of schedule, it’s time for our detailed analysis of the Swiss market for 2024.
As December is not historically a decisive month for new motorbike sales, we can outline some general trends.
So what about the figures published by the umbrella organisation MotoSuisse for the first 11 months of 2024? Long story short, the results are mixed.
While sales were slightly positive in the first six months of the year, fluctuating between +0.5% and +2%, the trend has reversed since August.
As a result, new registrations of motorcycles, consolidated over 11 months, fell by 0.94% across all brands and engine sizes.
And while some brands are beginning to show signs of recovery, others are continuing to record sharp falls in sales.
Let’s get down to our detailed analysis, including a 5-years evolution.
The following points can be made about sales by engine size. The 126-250cc category continues to decline. After falling by 11% in 2023, it will continue to fall in 2024 (-6%).
The medium category (500-1000 cc) will grow again. If we add up all the registrations, we see an increase of +4% (+9% in 2023).
As for the queen category (>1,000 cm3), it continues to decline. After a drop of 18% in 2022 and 6% in 2023, it will fall by 9% in 2024. What’s more, if we look at the trend over 5 years, we see an impressive -27%.
Could it be that the Swiss are becoming more sensible and driving smaller bikes? That’s one hypothesis.
The other hypothesis is that it’s first-time buyers who are buying new motorcycles (mid-size, A2).
And that more experienced motorcyclists are turning to second-hand motorcycles or renewing their vehicles less frequently as the rate of model replacement increases.
sales new motorbikes Switzerland
Looking at the three largest manufacturers, apart from BMW, the other two are in negative territory. Honda is even down 9% (+28% in 2023). Yamaha is also in decline, but is limiting the damage (-2%). Only BMW is in the black, perhaps thanks to the success of its GS. More on this below.
Other manufacturers such as Kawasaki (+14%) and Triumph (+12%) are back in the black.
Aprilia is also outperforming, with a spectacular +68% in 2024, while KTM is down -17%. Which is unlikely to help its current situation…
registrations new motorcycle Switzerland
If we broaden the spectrum and look at the 5-year period, we can see very clearly that sales are returning to pre-pandemic levels.
In this respect, Harley Davidson’s 44% fall over the last 5 years is quite spectacular.
On the other hand, certain brands such as Aprilia (+423%) and Honda (+8%) seem to be making a comeback!
But all the other major manufacturers are in the red over 5 years: BMW (-11%), Yamaha (-9%), Kawasaki (-39%), Triumph (-14%)!
And we can clearly see that the bubble of the Covide-years has burst and that levels are returning to pre-pandemic levels.
The Chinese manufacturers, for their part, are crossing swords and waging a fierce battle. None of them can hold a candle to their rivals.
Since they stand out mainly on price, are they targeting a slightly less captive/loyal clientele because they are mainly sensitive to the price argument?
Perhaps. However, if we look at the trend over 5 years, the figures speak for themselves:
To mention only a few. The only company to lose out was Mash (-87%), which seems to be losing its hegemony over Chinese production.
What’s more, these same manufacturers are also moving upmarket, offering, for example, fully-equipped mid-size trail bikes for under CHF 10,000, like Voge and its 900 DS adventure.
Should ‘Western’ manufacturers be worried? Only time will tell.
At least for newcomers to the world of motorcycling, who often have a limited budget when it comes to buying their first bike, and for whom historical references are not necessarily the deciding factor.
In fact, being able to benefit from the manufacturer’s warranty on a bike with a price tag of well under CHF 10,000 can be a very persuasive argument.
With 622 units registered in 2023, electric motorbikes are still struggling to convince motorcyclists.
Manufacturers such as Energica and Zero Motorcycles are announcing increased range, sometimes reaching around 400km in theory. However, with entry level prices sometimes well over 20,000 CHF, it’s clear that they are aimed primarily at an elite clientele, who may even use them as a 2nd or 3rd motorbike.
Electric scooters, on the other hand, are beginning to appeal to an urban/suburban clientele who see these vehicles as an alternative to a 2nd car, for example. 2’884 electric scooters were registered in 2024 (-10% compared to 2023).
Is the best-selling motorbike in Switzerland still the Yam MT-07? Drum roll…
And no, this year’s queen of sales is the BMW GS 1300, with 915 units.
And if we add in the 1250 GS Adventure while we wait for the 1300 GS to arrive, the total is 1208 units. The emblematic model from Bavaria is crushing the competition.
The MT-07 remains on the podium, in 2nd place, with 749 units (-14,6%).
Then come
So the podium is dominated by roadsters. The first sportsbike came in 8th place. It’s the Aprilia RS 660 with 406 units (+63.71%).
Clearly, the underlying trend seems to indicate that the historic sales achieved during the pandemic are a thing of the past.
Faced with major challenges such as inflation, rising insurance premiums, rents and energy prices, Swiss households may no longer be prioritising the purchase of a new motorbike.
However, one thing is certain. Motorbike manufacturers are continuing to put pressure on dealers to meet their sales targets…
But should dealers be alarmed? No, especially when there are ready-to-use solutions at hand.
We prepared a case study to see if rental is a viable complement or alternative to sales.
But in summary, with a 20% booking rate over the season, thanks to a hybrid model consisting of
you can generate a minimum of 400% additional profitability compared to simple sales.
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And with a 30% reservation rate? Min 700% extra profitability!
Click on the links to find out more:
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We hope that this reading has been useful to you.
Thank you for your interest and see you soon for a new article!
Ride on !
sales new motorbikes Switzerland
Motorbike Swiss Market Insights
[…] An industry that’s in a bit of a slump – see our analysis of the Swiss market in 2024. […]