According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), a total of 19,903 motorcycles and Off-Highway-Vehicles (OHV) were sold in the first quarter of 2024, which represents a downturn of 11.0 percent compared with the same period in 2023.

While FCAI figures represent much of the Australian motorcycle industry, some key players in the market are not members including Urban Moto Imports (Royal Enfield, Segway Powersports, Benelli, Super SOCO, Peugeot Motocycles and Rieju) and Mojo Motorcycles (CFMoto, Sherco and Kymco). As a result, FCAI sales figures are not entirely accurate, but they still give a good indication of the direction the market is heading.

motorcycle sales down
UMI is not an FCAI member so Royal Enfield sales data is not included…
… likewise CFMoto

The FCAI says road motorcycles made up 41.3 percent of total sales with 8217 units sold from January to March this year – a decrease of 10.2 percent on 2023 figures.

Off-road motorcycles made up 36.5 percent of total sales with 7260 units sold – a decrease of 11.9 percent on 2023 figures.

Off-Highway Vehicles (quads and side-by-sides) accounted for 15 percent of total sales with 2976 vehicles sold – a decrease of 16.1 percent on 2023 figures.

The only market segment to buck the trend was scooter sales, which enjoyed a  1.1 percent increase for the period with 1450 vehicles sold, representing 7.3 percent of total sales.

Scooters sales bucked the trend and were slightly up

The FCAI’s Chief Executive Tony Weber said the decline, with motorcycle sales down 11 percent, is consistent with cost of living and rising interest rate pressures in Australia.

“As Australians manage tighter finances, recreational products such as motorcycles are often the first to be affected,” claimed Weber. “The continued growth in scooter sales highlights a change in preferences in the Australian market and consumers shifting to mobility options that offer easier parking, quicker commute times and reduced fuel costs.”

Unfortunately the FCAI no longer publishes individual sales figures for different makes and models, with members claiming the publication of these figures gives an unfair advantage to non-FCAI members who do not publish their own sales figures.