International Dealer News IDN 141 February/March 2018 | Page 17

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New Sport Glide
Softail model at
its EICMA debut
was perhaps falling behind the curve
in E-bike terms, after having been well
ahead of Harley, said that, for them, it
wasn’t so much a technology issue but
one of ROI – suggesting that it was
difficult, at this stage, to see a pathway
to profits in the sector in the short
term.
The annual figures concealed a
dramatically disappointing final
quarter of 2017 for Harley, one in
which the company was widely
expected to have been able to point to
some good news as a result of the
theoretically well received new
generation M-8 engined Softails
becoming available at dealerships.
In the fourth quarter, Harley-Davidson
worldwide retail motorcycle sales
declined -9.6 percent compared to the
prior year. Harley-Davidson domestic
U.S. retail motorcycle sales were down
-11.1 percent in a market that was
down by around half that at -6.5
percent compared to the year-ago
quarter. Fourth quarter market share
was down on 3Q 2017 and 4Q 2016
share at -50.8 percent in the 601+cc
segment.
Ducati delivered
55,871 motorcycles
in 2017
In 2017, the Bologna-based
motorcycle manufacturer delivered
55,871 bikes, up modestly by 420
units from 2016.
Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati
Motor Holding said that “2017 was
another great year for Ducati, both
commercially and racing-wise. We
battled it out for the MotoGP title all
the way to the last race, won six GPs
and brought home the best results
since 2009. Continuous renewal of
the product range and a strong focus
on creating motorcycles of the
utmost quality has allowed us to
keep on growing despite the
problems affecting the world
market.”
Ducati says that in 2017 the
Multistrada family (including the new
950) “proved particularly popular. The
Monster family also enjoyed healthy
sales, as did the SuperSport and the
exclusive 1299 Superleggera, 500 of
which were purchased (at a price of
80,000 euro each) even before they
went into production.
“Ducati Scrambler solidified the
success of the previous two years,
reinforcing the range of Scrambler
bikes offered by the addition of the
new Desert Sled and Café Racer. A
total of 14,061 Scrambler bikes were
delivered in 2017, making a significant
contribution to overall sales.
“Our Italian sales were particularly
buoyant, ending 2017 with +12%
growth (8,806 motorcycles
delivered). The upward trend was
also evident in the rest of Europe,
where Ducati increased bike
deliveries by +4% to a total of
31,123. Ducati also grew on the
Spanish market, where sales rose by
a considerable +28.3%.
“In the USA - which remains our
largest market - deliveries were up by
+1.3%, with bike sales totalling
8,898. In Argentina, the growth rate
reached a stunning + 66%. In Asian
markets Ducati delivered a total of
5,805 bikes, also strengthening its
position in China (+ 31%) where the
dealership network doubled in size
from 9 to 18.”
In other news Ducati announced a
collaboration with Rizoma for the
production of an exclusive range of
special parts for Ducati models.
The company has also confirmed
20–22 July for its 10th World Ducati
Week (WDW) at the Misano World
Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Misano
Adriatico (Italy).
INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018
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