MIC Communications Symposium Speakers to Share Ideas, New Approaches to Attract Broader Market
Shaking things up, doing things differently in a fast-changing market will be front and center at the 19th annual Motorcycle Industry Council Communications Symposium on Nov. 15, in Carson, Calif.
Harley-Davidson Reports Q3 Down 8.1 Percent in the U.S.
Harley’s worldwide retail motorcycle sales were down 6.9% compared to the same period in 2016. Harley-Davidson U.S. retail motorcycle sales were down 8.1%, with the overall U.S. industry down 9.2% for the same period.
Strong Growth Reported in ATV/UTV Segment
Our latest survey of powersports dealers indicates that the off-road vehicle market saw strong UTV and ATV growth in the end of July, although the rest of the month saw lackluster demand, it appears the demand has carried over into August. Indeed, dealers noted that aggressive pricing is the primary driver of new unit sales
UTV Market Still Being Driven by Innovation
In our opinion, the intensity of promotions across the UTV universe has caused the UTV/ATV price gap to narrow to never-before-seen levels, which is driving incremental cannibalization to the UTV market.
TCX Boots Names New Sales and Marketing Director
TCX Boots recently announced that Michael “Tex” Mawby has been appointed to a new role as director of sales and marketing. Mawby served previously as the brand’s director of business development.
NYT Report: Young Buyers Turning to Used Bikes, Delaying Harley Recovery
The New York Times reported that Harley is likely to see a prolonged recovery due to the fact that younger buyers (i.e., millennials) are snapping up lower priced used bikes and metric models as opposed to purchasing a new Harley.
Good News: Pre-Owned Market is Normal
Recent reports on new unit sales have been less than optimistic. The good news is that for pre-owned motorcycles and ATVs, everything is as good as or better than prior years. Average Wholesale Prices (AWP) declined in July from their prior three-month average, and they did so right in-line with what we’d expect this time
ChopperExchange Releases 2017 V-twin Industry Pricing Report
The report shows a softening in demand within the American V-twin market within the past year. Asking prices have fallen by 1.5% and 1.2% for used and new bikes, respectively.
Polaris Reports Q2 2017 Results, Beats Expectations
Sales for the second quarter of 2017 increased 21% to $1,364.9 million; adjusted sales increased 20% to $1,358.8 million, slightly ahead of expectations.
Harley-Davidson Considering Bid to Buy Ducati According to Report
According to a recent Reuters report, Harley-Davidson is considering making a bid to buy rival Ducati. The deal could be worth up to $1.67 billion. Several other groups are also preparing bids for the Italian motorcycle maker, which is being put up for sale by Volkswagen.
Polaris Reports First Quarter Sales Increased 17%; ORV Dealer Inventory Down 9%
Polaris Industries Inc. recently reported its first quarter 2017 sales were $1,153.8 million, up 17 percent, from $983 million for the first quarter of 2016. Adjusted sales (which excludes the impact from Victory Motorcycles net sales for the first quarter of 2017) were $1,158.9 million compared to $983 million in the prior year period.
Kawasaki Names New Marketing Managers
Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. has announced the promotion of Bob O’Brien to senior marketing manager and Ken Essex to the role of public relations manager.
OEM Report Cards
First Quarter Results Last month we sent out a survey to a random sample of readers to help gauge the performance of manufacturers for the first three months of the year. We wanted to know whether a recent USA Today article that stated sales were up was in fact true. Below are the unvarnished results.
Harley-Davidson Reports Fourth Quarter, Full-Year 2016 Results
For the full-year 2016, worldwide Harley-Davidson retail motorcycle sales were down 1.6 percent compared to 2015. U.S. retail sales decreased 3.9 percent, partially offset by international growth of 2.3 percent.
Arctic Cat Reports Net Loss In Fiscal ’17 Second Quarter Results
Arctic Cat Inc. has reported a net loss of $12.8 million on net sales of $164.6 million for the fiscal 2017 second quarter ended September 30, 2016. In the prior-year quarter, the company reported net earnings of $11.2 million on net sales of $211.2 million. Christopher Metz, Arctic Cat’s president and chief executive officer, stated: “We
Harley-Davidson Reports Third Quarter 2016 Earnings
Harley-Davidson worldwide retail motorcycle sales in the third quarter were down 4.5 percent, primarily on weak U.S. industry trends. Harley-Davidson retail motorcycle sales in the U.S. were down 7.1 percent compared to the year-ago quarter, with the overall U.S. industry also down for the same period.
