The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has been rough on every industry and the global automotive industry is no different. However, the industry has shown an appreciable fightback in the last few months to witness a rise in sales which is close to pre-Covid era.
While the two-wheeler segment has been returning very strong numbers, the same isn’t the case for premium bikes. The larger performance-oriented motorcycles have not been able to breach the market. This could be mainly due to a shortage of budget caused during the pandemic that has led consumers to shift to more affordable motorcycles.
In February 2021, Royal Enfield 650 Twins topped the sales charts for the big bikes, however, it witnessed a massive YoY decline of 86 percent. In comparison to February 2020 where 2080 units of 605 Twins were sold, only 284 units of the classic roadsters were retailed last month.
The decline in sales was due to the fact that RE was in the process of updating the 650 Twins. Recently, both interceptor 650 and Continental GT received a cosmetic update with new colour schemes and a new set of tyres.
It was followed by Kawasaki Z900 with a total sales of 61 units, in comparison to 71 units sold during the same month last year with a YoY decline of 14 percent. Its faired cousin Ninja 650 registered a sales volume of 48 units with a YoY growth of 167 percent. Triumph broke into the list with its adventure tourer Tiger 900 by selling 39 units followed by Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX with 32 units and 9 percent YoY degrowth.
Another pair of adventure motorcycles- Honda Africa Twin and Kawasaki Versys 650 occupied the sixth and seventh spots with sales of 17 units and 16 units respectively. The Versys 650 was joined by its naked streetfighter sibling Z650 with exactly the same sales volume and a 20 percent decline in YoY sales. The Japanese brand’s power cruiser Vulcan S, carrying the same powertrain as Versys 650 and Z650, came in next with 13 units under its bank.
The list was rounded off by Harley Davidson Low Rider S (7 units), Kawasaki Versys 1000 (7 units) and Harley Davidson Forty-Eight Special (6 units). The last two models had a YoY growth and degrowth of 600 percent and 63 percent respectively.
With a fresh surge in the number of cases rising and possible lockdowns in various parts of the country in future possible, we do not expect sales of premium motorcycles to ride anytime soon. However, new attractive launches are expected in the coming months which might excite motorcycling enthusiasts.