Which company tops the world in motorcycle sales?

Let’s settle the big question straight away, since you know the answer anyway. Yes, the winner is still Honda. And the number is staggering as usual, too: it’s 13.8 million units sold in 2021. That’s an increase of 14.7 per cent over 2020, a figure that looks pretty good, but one that is eclipsed by even the other Japanese motorcycle companies. And it’s not all sunshine in Minato City anyway; like the other Japanese manufacturers, Honda is carrying heavy losses, in particular from 2020. That year saw a reduction of 25 per cent over 2019, which will take some making up. But at least Honda is on the right track, along with Yamaha and Suzuki; Kawasaki didn’t make the top ten.

The surprises start with the runner-up. Second was a brand you will almost certainly never have heard of. It is Chinese manufacturer Yadea, which launched more than 5.8 million scooters onto the Chinese market up to November 2021. Not only that, but that represents growth of 17.8 per cent over the previous year, and the scoots were all electric. If that isn’t enough to convince you that electric power is growing strongly in the market, consider that another of the top companies is an electric-only manufacturer too. It’s Niu, also a Chinese factory, which shifted almost 900,000 scooters for tenth place. That might not look as impressive as the many millions sold by the top dogs, but Niu was able to book an increase over 2020 of 72 per cent.

In other words, not only do two of the world’s top ten manufacturers rely entirely on building electric scooters, they managed to shift nearly seven million of them during the first 11 months of last year and sales are growing strongly. Consider in comparison that one of the major European manufacturers, the Piaggio Group with its plethora of brands, does not even come close to those kinds of figures with about 350,000 motorcycles and scooters sold in that time.

That takes care of numbers one, two and 10. Number nine is neither a Japanese or European company either: nor is it Chinese, although some of its motorcycles are built in China. Remember how I introduced you to “the largest motorcycle company you’ve never heard of” some time ago? Yes, number nine is Mexican manufacturer Italika with just a few more sales than Niu, at a total of just over 900,000. And while the 72 per cent increase in Niu’s sales will probably see them eclipse Italika fairly soon, the Mexicans did by no means badly with growth of 24 per cent.

It’s back to the Japanese at eighth place with Suzuki and sales of nearly 1.2 million, as well as respectable growth of 26 per cent. The Chinese company that makes Suzuki’s scooters with capacities from 110 to 250, Haojue, is ahead of its customer in seventh place with just over 1.2 million – all sold on the home market.

Another manufacturer outside the usual suspects of Japan and China is in sixth place. You have probably been waiting for an Indian company to show up, and here it is: TVS Motor. With total sales of 2.25 million, TVS managed an increase of 6.4 per cent. Not at all bad in the difficult Indian market. While TVS Motor is not well known outside India yet, this will be just a matter of time because it is the new parent company of Norton. Will that be good or bad? We don’t yet know. TVS also builds the G 310 series of bikes with BMW.

Just ahead in fifth place is another Indian company, Bajaj. They also managed good growth for the period with an increase of 5.4 per cent in that difficult home market, for total sales of 2.3 million. Third place is also taken by an Indian firm, namely Hero Motor with sales of 4.5 million despite a loss of 9.6 per cent. Sandwiched between these two was Yamaha in fourth place with sales of 3.5 million. The tuning forks badge even managed an increase of 15.7 per cent, quite an amazing figure considering the difficulties with deliveries that Yamaha faced during the year. Part of that was offset by building some models at MBK in France.

To summarize: nine of the top 10 brands come from Asia, with a Mexican manufacturer as the only exception. The Europeans are nowhere to be seen, but that is at least partly because they operate in a completely different price class from the big companies. And no matter what you think of electric two-wheelers: they are already big, and growing strongly.

(Background information MOTORRAD)