AS MOTORCYCLES continue to deliver one of the most convenient modes of transportation, the Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association, Inc. (MDPPA) recorded a 16.7 percent increase in the country’s motorcycle sales this first quarter of 2023 among its four members — Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha.
Compared to the 127,000 units sold on average per month in the first quarter last year, around 149,000 motorcycles were purchased by Filipinos per month during the same period this 2023. This makes the three-month totals of 2023 the best-recorded sales in comparison to the first quarters of the three previous pandemic years, including 2020, 2021, and 2022.
According to MDPPA, 447,429 motorcycle were sold between January and March 2023. Such a number is only about 3,500 less than the 451,103 pre-pandemic figure from 2019.
“We hope that the performance of the first quarter will be sustained. The market is so volatile as influenced by internal and external variables. Our conservative forecast this year is 10 percent growth, in light of the headwinds of imminent recession in the US and other regions. If the existing business landscape will prevail, the 1.7 million units recorded sales in 2019 may be surpassed,” Boying Mojica, President of MDPPA, said.
Because of its easy-to-operate controls, the Automatic Category or Scooters took 60 percent of the total first-quarter sales this year with 269,652 units sold. This was followed by the Business Units, which are used for commercial purposes. This category accounted for 18.6 percent of the total sales, with 83,616 units sold.
Meanwhile, Mopeds or Underbone motorcycles took 17.2 percent of the total sales due to their affordability, with 77,152 units sold. The Street and Big Bikes, commonly used for leisure and off-road adventure, took the remaining 4 percent with 17,000 units sold. (PR)