The motorcycle market - France (2024)

1.2 Global and European market conditions

The global market

In ****, the global motorcycle market was estimated at US$**.** billion. Motorcycle sales are expected to grow at an average rate of *.*% per year between **** and ****, reaching $***.** billion.

Global motorcycle market size **** - **** * projections

Worldwide motorcycle sales are mainly concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region, which will account for **% of the market in ****. In this part of the world, where two-wheelers are often preferred to cars, the main countries driving growth are India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines.

In the APAC region, the levers of growth in the motorcycle market are :

Very strong demographic growth in the region A more affluent population - greater purchasing power, enabling the acquisition of *-wheelers A preference for individual transport rather than public transport, which is often seen as lacking.

On a global scale, the levers of growth are also :

Urbanization, coupled with the democratization of motorcycle use in cities. Improved product offering: motorcycle models are increasingly focused on safety and comfort. To achieve this, manufacturers are integrating more and more technology into their two-wheelers, for example, using artificial intelligence to improve stability in bends or dangerous situations. The emergence of electric motorcycles, like the automotive market

The European market

Proof that the ...

1.3 A growing French market across all segments and vehicle types

The motorcycle market has two dimensions: motorcycle manufacturing (***)

Class **.**Z (***) comprises :

manufacture of motorcycles, mopeds and cycles fitted with auxiliary engines manufacture of motorcycle engines manufacture of side cars manufacture of motorcycle parts and accessories

Class **.**Z (***) comprises :

wholesale and retail sale of motorcycles, including mopeds and snowmobiles wholesale and retail of motorcycle parts and accessories (***) motorcycle maintenance and repair

Using these NAF codes, it is possible to estimate the size of the motorcycle market in France. The procedure is detailed here for motorcycle manufacturing. The procedure is the same for motorcycle trade and repair

Insee provides the market size in **** for each NAF code, as well as the annual sales index for the corresponding NAF codes.

In the case of motorcycle manufacturing, this market size thus amounted to ***,*** million euros in ****. This figure makes it possible to estimate the size in **** in France, by multiplying it by the sales index for the year **** also indicated by by Inseethen divided by the sales index for ****.

This formula gives: ***.*** million * ***.*/*** = ***.*** million euros, for the motorcycle manufacturing market in ****. The calculation is the same for other years, as is the approach for motorcycle trade and repair.

Motorcycle market size in France France, **** - ...

1.4 The impact of Covid-19 and reaction to the crisis

As in many markets, the impact of Covid-** was severely felt in motorcycle sales from March to May ****, during the first containment period. The market, which had been growing at a brisk pace, was forced to halt its activity during the months of the health crisis. Insee reports the market's gross sales index for NAF code **.**Z.

evolution of the motorcycle trade sales index France, January **** - June ****, index *** in **** Source: ****

The first drop in the index on the graph is due to the summer trough of ****, but we notice in March **** a drop of **% compared with March ****. This fall worsens in April to reach the lowest sales index the market has seen since ****. Nevertheless, the market seems to have recovered quickly. May and June **** were excellent months. November ****, during the second confinement, also sees a drop in sales. In ****, the market picks up again, to pre-crisis levels.

1.5 Foreign trade in motorcycles

The harmonized customs system provides access to French motorcycle imports and exports. Code ****: Motorcycles (***) and cycles fitted with auxiliary motor, with or without sidecars; sidecars, and data from the UN Comtrade database for this code are reported in the following graphs.

We can see that imports and exports have increased slightly in **** compared with ****, by *% and *% respectively. The coverage rate (***).

Motorcycle trade balance France, ****-****, in millions of US$ Source: ****

France's main import trading partners are Germany, Italy, China and Belgium, which together will account for over **% of imports in ****.

Main countries supplying motorcycles France, ****, in Others (***) : Austria, Thailand, Spain ... Source: ****

On the export side, France's main trading partners are Germany, Italy and Spain, which together account for almost **% of exports.

Main motorcycle customer countries France, ****, in Source: ****

2.1 The motorcycle fleet in France

In ****, the total number of motorized two-wheelers registered in France was estimated at *.* million[***] The number of motorized two-wheelers has remained stable for a decade.it was *.** million in ****, for example, and *.*** million in ****.

In terms of new motorized two-wheeler registrations, we can see that after a decline between **** and **** (***).

New registrations of mopeds and motorcycles France, **** - ****, in thousands Source: ****

By ****, motorcycles will account for **% of new motorized two-wheeler registrations, while mopeds will account for **%.

As a reminder, a moped is a *-wheeled vehicle with an engine capacity of ** cm* or less that cannot exceed **km/h. A motorcycle, on the other hand, has an engine capacity of over ** cm* and can travel faster than ** km/h.

Breakdown between motorcycles and mopeds France, ****, as % of total Source: ****

What's more, road bikes account for the majority of new registrations (***). Scooters come second, with **.*% of new registrations.

Breakdown of motorcycles by type France, January - September ****, as % of total Source: ****

In addition, the motorized two-wheeler fleet is aging, with the average age of vehicles increasing by *.* years in * years, from **.* years in **** to **.* years in ****. [***] In detail, the moped fleet (***) in ****.

What's more, the so-called "dormant" fleet, i.e. machines not used ...

2.2 The vehicles most in demand

Demand by vehicle power

The vehicles most in demand in **** will be under ** cm* (***). The ***-*** cm* segment completes the podium with **,*** new registrations. note that ***-*** cm* and **** cm*+ motorcycles are the least popular models.

New motorcycle registrations by cubic capacity France, ****, in number of registrations Source: ****

Demand by manufacturer

The following chart shows the top ** manufacturers in terms of two-wheeler sales in ****. Japanese manufacturers Honda and Yamaha lead the way, far ahead of BMW, Kawasaki and Triumph.

Top ** best-selling motorcycle and scooter manufacturers France, ****, in number of registrations Source: ****

Demand by product

The motoservices.com website reports the Top ** sales of motorized *-wheelers over *** cm³, excluding mopeds and electrics, by number of registrations over the year ****. The top ** are shown in the table below.

Top ** best-selling models in **** in France

Source: ****

2.3 Demand for electric vehicles

Demand for electric two-wheelers saw very strong growth between **** and ****, where sales of electric machines increased by a factor of *.* between **** and ****. Then, the electric segment experienced a significant decline, where sales volume is divided by *.* in ****. This can be explained in part by the closure of stores during the confinements generated by the health crisis. But the sharp drop in sales of electric vehicles from **** onwards is above all due to the fact that the largest fleets of electric vehicles, in some large companies as well as in car-sharing schemes in major cities, are already saturated. For example, very large fleets, such as Cityscoot (***), are already less in demand. Coop, another car-sharing service, has ceased operations. As these fleets have only recently been built up, growth is likely to be driven more by private customers over the next few years. [***]

Growth in the number of electric two-wheeler registrations France, **** - ****, in units Source: ****

Moreover, electric mopeds account for the largest number of electric two-wheeler sales. In fact, electric mopeds will account for *.*% of all motorized two-wheeler sales in ****, compared with just *.*% for motorcycles.

Share of electric two-wheelers among all new two-wheeler registrations France, ****, in Source: ****

Top * electric sales by manufacturer ...

2.4 Using the motorcycle

The place of the motorcycle among other means of transport

In ****, the car remains by far the most popular means of transport for daily travel (***).

These are the most common means of transport: beyond that, other modes are used much more marginally. Motorcycles and scooters are used by just *% of the population for daily commuting.

Mode of transport used for daily travel France, ****, in Source: ****

The most important criteria in choosing a means of daily transport are convenience (***).

Criteria for choosing a means of daily transport France, ****, in Source: ****

Motorcycle uses:

Whatever the category of motorcycle, it is mainly used for leisure, to go for rides, especially among owners of heavy motorcycles. Other common uses include commuting and shopping. conversely, motorcycles are rarely used for vacations or business trips.

Reasons for motorcycle use by category France, ****, as % of total Source: ****

If we take a closer look at the role of motorized two-wheelers in transport, we see that their use for travel is still fairly uncommon. Only *% of French people claim to use a motorized two-wheeler on a daily (***). Conversely, **% of French people never use this means of transport.

Frequency of use of a motorized two-wheeler for daily travel France, ****, in Source: ...

2.5 Demographic factors

Gender of motorcycle users

Motorcycle users are mainly men (***). In ****, women accounted for **% of motorcycle users. Overall, women use smaller displacement motorcycles than men. In fact, **% of women have a displacement of less than *** cm, compared with **% of men.

Gender of two-wheeler users France, ****, in Source: ****

Fleet breakdown by engine size and age group

The following three graphs show the breakdown of the fleet by cylinder capacity and age. While mopeds account for the vast majority of motorcycles (***).

Breakdown of motorcycles under ** by cylinder size France, ****, as % of total Source: ****

Distribution of motorcycles by cylinder size in the **-** age group France, ****, in Source: ****

**-** year-olds by engine size France, ****, in % Source: ****

2.6 The public image of motorcycles

Motorcycles enjoy a good image with the majority of French people, with **% declaring that they have a very good or fairly good image of motorcycles and two-wheelers. Motorcycling is even more popular with men, **% of whom have a good image of it.

French image of motorcycles and two-wheelers France, ****, in Source: ****

Although the majority of French people have a good image of motorcycles, a significant proportion (***) say they have a bad image, including *% who say they have a very bad image. This can be explained by a number of criticisms levelled at them. In particular, **% of French people consider motorcycles and two-wheelers to be dangerous, and **% think they generate noise pollution.

Perception of motorcycles and two-wheelers France, ****, in Source: ****

The sense of danger generated by motorcycles can be explained by the number of motorcyclist deaths on the roads. Although the number of deaths has been falling since ****, *** motorized two-wheeler riders lost their lives in ****, including *** motorcyclists and ** moped riders.

number of motorized two-wheeler riders killed on the road France, **** - **** - ****, in units Source: ****

3.1 The market value chain

Below is a simplified value chain for the motorcycle market:

Source: ****

Manufacturers (***) are the players in the first and second stages of the above value chain. They design the vehicles and assemble the components. However, most component manufacturing is outsourced.

The main players in distribution to end consumers are dealers. These are sales outlets, trade and repair companies, scattered throughout the country. These are the preferred distribution channels, as they offer customers the benefit of professional advice and the opportunity to try out products. The lerepairedesmotards. com website lists *,*** dealerships in France in ****. There is also online distribution, which is dominated by sites selling used motorcycles. Other online sales sites are often the sites of dealers who also have a physical sales outlet. Online sales mainly concern motorcycle equipment (***). In this particular segment, the D*T distribution group is the leader, with its motoblouz. com and access-moto.com sites. A more specific study on motorcycle helmets is available here.

Dealers also buy from intermediaries. These intermediaries may, for example, be subsidiaries of the manufacturers themselves, or importers (***).

3.2 Production sites in France

The market in France can be split into *: producers (***) and sellers/repairers. This section deals with production sites.

To analyze motorcycle production, we use the following NAF code: **.**Z: Manufacture of motorcycles:

Manufacture of motorcycles, mopeds and cycles fitted with auxiliary engines; Manufacture of motorcycle engines; Manufacture of side cars; Manufacture of motorcycle parts and accessories.

The chart below shows the evolution of the number of companies manufacturing motorcycles in France from **** to ****.

Number of motorcycle manufacturing companies France, ****-**** Source: ****

The number of companies is fairly stable from **** to ****, with an increase from **** onwards: **% increase in ****, *% in **** and **% in ****. The rate of increase in **** compared to **** is **%!

A wide variety of manufacturers are setting up plants in France, many of them foreign. Among the main production sites in France are Peugeot motocycles in Mandeure, Doubs, and MBK in Saint-Quentin, Aisne. it's worth noting that neither of these * manufacturers is French, since the takeover of Peugeot Motocycles by Indian manufacturer Mahindra in ****, with the MBK plant belonging to Japanese Yamaha. The country is also home to other, more confidential French manufacturers, generally positioned in very high-end segments, such as Avinton, based in Sommières in the Gard region, or Brough Superior, ...

3.3 Sales and repair in France

The second largest segment of the motorcycle market in France is motorcycle sales and repair (***).

The sales and repair market saw a decline in the number of establishments until ****, with a rebound since ****. Between the second-hand market and its many private resellers, notably through online platforms such as Le Bon Coin or La Centrale, and the various networks of professional distributors, competitive intensity is increasing.

Number of companies and employees in motorcycle trade and repair France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

The number of employees fell only between **** and ****, with an increase from **** onwards, showing that the number of distribution companies is decreasing, but their size is increasing.

Workforce in motorcycle trade and repair France, **** - ****, in headcount Source: ****

The following map and table show the geographical distribution of motorcycle sales and repairs in France. We can see that the sector's establishments are concentrated in the southern part of France and in the Paris region.

4.1 Price level

The graph below shows the evolution of the consumer price index (***) for motorcycles in France between January **** and January ****. The consumer price index is used to estimate the average change in prices of products consumed by households.

Motorcycle consumer price index France, January **** - August ****, base *** in **** Source: ****

Market prices therefore remained stable from **** to ****. In ****, due to post-covid inflation, prices rose by *%, then increased by a further *% in ****, before falling by *.*% in January ****.

4.2 The different types of motorcycles and their prices

The speedway.fr website reports on * main categories of motorcycles found on the French market.

Road bikes

There are three types of motorcycles in the "touring" category: firstly, "touring" motorcycles. These aremotorcycles designed for long-distance journeys, with larger dimensions and better protection (***), and are designed to cover long distances at high speed, possibly carrying luggage. Example : Honda Goldwing DCT; Price: €**,***

The second type of tourer is the GT (***) motorcycle. These are upgraded versions of touring bikes: comfort is optimized, and protection and performance are enhanced. Example : Yamaha Tracer *** GT; Price: €**,***

The third type is the sporty tourer, somewhere between the classic tourer and the sports bike. A high seat and a powerful engine: their use is concentrated on touring and/or travel. Example : Honda VFR***F ; Price : €**,***

Sports bikes

Sports bikes are racing bikes, but homologated for road use. With a seat at half-guideline height, the site specifies that it can be ridden in the frog position. Example : Ducati Panigale V*; Price: €**,***

Roadsters

These models are all about versatility. Lighter than street bikes, they have no fairings. Example : KTM *** Duke; Price: €*,***

Cruisers

This type of motorcycle includes the iconic Harley-Davidson. They can often be customized as desired, with little fairing and ...

4.3 Supply trends: electric motors and technological innovations

Electric motorcycles

The market for electric motorcycles has grown considerably in recent years. The range of electric models, which initially focused on scooters (***), has now been extended to motorcycles. Indeed, more and more motorcycle brands are offering zero-emission alternatives to traditional combustion engines. [***] Among the companies bringing electric models to market, we can distinguish two types: Traditional players, such as BMW or Honda, who develop electric models in addition to their internal combustion engine models. New entrants to the sector, specialized in electric models, such as Zero Motorcycles and SuperSocco. For the time being, however, it is mainly in the moped and light motorcycle segments that electric motorcycles are developing, due to the technical limitations of batteries in terms of range and power.

Increasinglyinnovative and connected motorcycles and equipment[***].

The motorcycle sector is subject to a great deal of innovation. We can distinguish two types: those directly integrated into the vehicle, and those concerning equipment.

Vehicle-integrated innovations include :

On-board displays, similar to those found on modern cars. BMW, for example, offers an on-board screen on several of its scooters, controlled by a knob on the handlebars. Driver assistance systems (***). Integral motorcycle airbags.honda, which had already launched a front-mounted airbag for ...

5. Regulatory aspects of the market

EURO standards

Since ****, Euro standards have regulated emissions of the main known pollutants emitted by vehicle exhausts. These pollutants are :

Nitrogen oxides, better known as NOx; Carbon monoxide, CO ; Hydrocarbons; Particulate matter.

Gradually, these standards are designed to bring about a change in the motorcycle fleet, making it cleaner and less polluting. The objectives of these plans, detailed in the chart below, are a real headache for manufacturers, who have to adapt regularly.

targets for the various Euro standards France, ****-****, in mg/km Source: ****

Since January *, ****, new two-wheelers leaving the factory must comply with EURO *. Since ****, all motorcycle ranges must comply. The conditions of sale of end-of-series motorcycles for manufacturers are not yet known. However, they should be more flexible, given the consequences of the Covid-** crisis. [***]

Mandatory technical inspection and its consequences

From April **, ****, roadworthiness tests will be mandatory for motorcycles and scooters in France. The first inspections will focus on safety, and will gradually be extended to other aspects such as pollution. Owners will be required to have their motorcycles inspected at approved centers, at an estimated cost of around ** euros. Failure to comply may result in a fine of *** euros[***]

The introduction of compulsory roadworthiness tests for ...

6. Player segmentation

• La Centrale Groupe
• Media Prod (Moto Services)
• AFL Communication (Moto85.com)
• ADS4ALL (Le Parking-Moto)
• WINTEAM FULLOCCAZ.com
• Lerepairedesmotards.com
• Lys Moto
• Honda Motorcycle
• Peugeot Motocycles
• Yamaha Motor
• BMW Mottorrad
• Moto Guzzi
• Moto Shop 2000
• GATE32 S.R.L.
• Honda Roma
• ParuVendu.fr
• Furygan
• Sherco
• Triumph Motor Cycles
• D3T Distribution Motoblouz
• CYCOM (Motoexpert)
• P2R