It’s doom and gloom today. The motorcycle industry continues to be slogged on the nose like a near-sighted proctologist, as exports from metric manufacturers declined by 65% this June from 2008’s figures. This drop comes after May only showed a 58% loss over last year’s numbers, showing an escalation of the problems for the motorcycle industry, instead of the beginnings of an abatement. For those who aren’t keeping score, 2009 so far has sold 25% less units than 2008, with the crunch hitting the hardest as sales normally would pick up during the summer.
Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki, have decreased their total production by over 40% this June compared to 2008. Honda seems to have faired better than the others, reporting independently a loss of only about 30%. Yamaha also reported its numbers were more like 33%, which makes us only guess as to who was the big loser in the group.
It’s not all bad though, Yamaha’s Motorsports Group President, Henio Arcangeli Jr., shed some positive light on the situation, saying that company has increased market share in certain markets. Although, he refrained from mentioning which markets those were. No more staff reductions are expected from the piano manufacturer.
Source: PowerSports Business
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