SCOOTER SALES BUCK THE TRENDS
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries , the peak body for Australia ’ s automotive industry , has released sales figures for motorcycles and off-highway vehicles ( OHV ) for January - September 2022 .
A total of 70,382 motorcycles and OHVs were sold between January and September 2022 . This represents a decrease of 18.4 per cent for the same period in 2021 .
The most popular segment , off road motorcycles achieved 41.09 per cent of overall sales equating to 28,923 units sold . This is a decrease of 17.6 per cent on 2021 figures .
Road motorcycles were the next most popular segment , recording 37.29 per cent of sales with 26,245 units sold . This represents an increase of 0.5 per cent on 2021 figures .
The OHV segment of the market decreased by 48.3 per cent . This amounts to a total of 11,165 units sold representing 15.86 per cent of the overall market . This decrease is due largely to Government policy mandating the fitment of operator protection devices ( OPDs ), which has led many manufacturers to cease supply of agricultural all-terrain vehicles ( ATVs ) to the Australian market .
Scooters made up the smallest portion of the market with 4,049 new units sold equating to 5.75 per cent of total sales . However , this figure is an increase of 18.7 per cent on 2021 figures .
FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said that while the decrease in overall sales was disappointing , the increase in the scooter segment indicated that Australian motorists were considering the benefits of two-wheel transport .
“ More Australians are looking to scooters as a way of reducing their commute times , as well as their toll , fuel and parking costs ,” Mr Weber said .
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