Suzuki has always been one of the four major Japanese motorcycle manufacturers. However, I’m sure I’m not the only person saying it could be the last, you know, the worst of the best if you will. Now, I love Suzuki and would love to add the new GSX-S1000 to my performance-oriented street bike collection. And I keep my eye on Suzuki Motorcycle Philippines. But, there is no denying the fact that the company has been quite lax in product development and innovation in recent years.
In the end, there could be a reason for that, and it’s just a matter of preference. In 2021, Suzuki posted impressive sales growth numbers in both its automotive and motorcycle divisions. The Japanese automaker made more than 2.5 trillion yen, or about $21 billion, from the sale of cars alone. Meanwhile, its motorcycle division posted an impressive 183.7 billion yen in sales, or about $1.5 billion. This resulted in 18.3% year-over-year growth for cars and 26.3% for two-wheelers – pretty impressive, right?
What is even more interesting, however, are the markets where Suzuki is gaining ground and, conversely, the markets where Suzuki has seen a dramatic decline. Unsurprisingly, the Asian market is the largest motorcycle market in the world, with countries in this region heavily reliant on motorcycles for their daily commute, unlike the Western world, where motorcycles’ bicycles are considered more of a toy and a luxury than anything else.
In this key market, Suzuki has sold a total of 975,000 two-wheelers. Unsurprisingly, the top performer is India, with a total of 437,000 bikes and a 16% year-over-year growth. China ranked second, with a total of 315,000 motorcycles sold and up 9.4% from 2020. Growth of 21%. In Japan, home of Suzuki, it achieved steady sales of 42,000 units and a growth rate of 7%. The remaining few thousand come from other Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Suzuki’s rapid growth in the Asian market is probably largely due to the increased demand for personal mobility vehicles after the global pandemic. With public transport infrastructure suspended indefinitely and passenger capacity plummeting, more and more people are turning to two-wheelers to get around. Furthermore, the growing popularity of package delivery and food delivery services has further fueled this demand. On the Suzuki side, the company has launched some notable small displacement models in the region, such as Burgman Street, Gixxer 250 and Avenis 125.
Now, if we focus on the US and European markets, we’ll see a much worse sales picture. Suzuki performance. In Europe, it has sold a total of 22,000 motorcycles and scooters. While still impressive, this number marks a sharp 29% drop. In the US market, things got even worse as 22,000 more bikes hit the market for consumers, resulting in a 41% drop. While the report doesn’t specify the reason for the region’s decline, is it simply because the rival has outpaced Suzuki in terms of performance, features, and overall value for money, especially in the segment?
