News: Recreational Products

2021-02-23

New Wave of COVID-19 Cuts Brazil Motorcycle Production by 50%

Manaus-AM had the biggest impact of COVID 19 in Brazil and it is where Honda and other Motorcycle OEMs have production plants. Honda, responsible for over 80% of the production, had to stop twice in January due to the pandemic effects. The consequence is that the production in January 2021 fell by 50% when compared with January 2020 and by 27% when compared with December 2020.

Source: Press Release      Read The Article

PSR Analysis: The demand for motorcycles remains high and the forecast is 10% growth over 2020. These stops are punctual. Volumes should be recovered as pandemic effects slow down during 2021 with the vaccines and the growth forecast is kept so far.   PSR

Fabio Ferraresi is Director – Business Development, South America, for Power Systems Research

2021-02-22

NA Electric Motorcycle Segment Growing

Michael Aistrup
Michael Aistrup

Motorcycling in America is changing as industry leaders and new technology competitors are trying to attract newer/younger riders who want something different from Harley-Davidson’s big cruisers or screaming Japanese and European performance bikes.

The changes are in response to younger riders who are attracted to the efficiency and fun of two-wheel travel associated with e-motorcycles, while older riders are losing interest, or simply becoming unable to ride any longer.

At present, e-motorcycles remain a niche market. Riders are typically city dwellers in their early 40s–slightly younger than the average age of a U.S. motorcycle rider, which is 47, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council’s U.S. Motorcycle Owner Survey — and uses the bike to commute.

Read More»

2020-12-21

Powersports Segment Growth Ignores COVID-19

Michael Aistrup
Michael Aistrup

While much of the North American economy slowed to a crawl after COVID-19 shutdowns in 2020, the powersports industry posted significant growth. Many people, weary of staying at home, found a cure for cabin fever while riding an off-road vehicle or experiencing socially distant spaces on trails. By all indications, the sales increase in powersports equipment has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise grim COVID-19 economy.

According to Jeremy Jansen, senior vice president of Wells Fargo Commercial Banking’s distribution financing business, “What started out as a slight uptick has just taken off to record sales levels,” he said. “Dirt bikes, ATVs, side by sides, personal transport vehicles — everything in the book is retailing well above prior year.” After plummeting briefly in mid-March amid the initial shutdown, powersports sales skyrocketed in the ensuing months.

Read More»

Market Updates: PowerSports, Lawn & Garden and Marine

New Powerboat Retail Sales Up 8%

Michael Aistrup
Michael Aistrup

Data from the National Marine Manufacturers Association shows August was another strong month for new powerboat retail sales, which were up 8% year to date on a seasonally adjusted basis compared to a year ago.

New power boat retail sales did slowed in August following increases in the early summer months. Total sales were down 13 percent compared to July, while sales are still strong with increases across all major categories, year to date. Sales of saltwater fishing boats, tow boats, cruisers and yachts each had double-digit growth ranging from 11 percent to 15 percent, compared to 2019.    PSR

Read More»

2020-10-23

Global Recovery: Opportunities and Challenges

SUMMARY. The global economy, especially within the Engine, OEM and Components industries, has felt the immediate impact from COVID: assembly line shutdowns, labor issues, supply chain issues, logistics and transportation to name a few.  The pandemic has exposed many weak links in the global economic chain. However, by end of summer, most of these challenges were either completely resolved or temporary solutions had been put in place. 

Yosyf Sheremeta
Yosyf Sheremeta

Diversification has become the theme during the pandemic recovery, and we expect this trend to continue.  Not only are companies looking for new markets and suppliers to grow top and bottom line revenue as well as to minimize risks, but we see a shift into new industries.  Furthermore, rapid developments of new technologies create massive opportunities for OEMs and suppliers as well as posing real threats to OEMs that solely rely on traditional products that are powered by fossil fuels. 

Read More»

2020-08-23

How Does Market Brace for Low Speed EV Impact?

By August 12, after 20 days of product launch, SGMW’s MINI EV will hit a sales record of 15,000 vehicles, making it the world’s fastest car model reaching the threshold of 10,000 units.

Source: D1 EV      Read The Article

Qin Fen
Qin Fen

PSR Analysis: Consider BYD’s electric bus, SGMW’s MINI EV, as well as premium car brands like Tesla: These traditional and emerging automotive OEMs are reformulating rules of the auto game, with their own proprietary technology. 

As a matter of fact, it’s not just the automotive market that needs to brace for the impact of electrification, the off-road market also is trending toward electrification.  The changing markets include passenger car, light commercial vehicle, medium and heavy duty vehicle, forklift, and lawn mower. Will this wave continue to expand to other off-road applications?  How much more will it change the rules of the game?     PSR

Qin Fen is Business Development Manager for Power Systems Research

2020-07-26

Powersports Industry Leading Economic Comeback

The Powersports industry–featuring ATVs, motorcycles and watercraft–appears to be leading the way on the road to economic recovery. According to Motorcycle & Powersports News magazine, this increased demand for powersports is helping values bounce back from historic lows.

Michael Aistrup
Michael Aistrup

According to Scott Yarbrough, senior analyst for motorcycle and powersports at Black Book: “After the first month of the COVID-19, shutdowns put a freeze on powersports values during the beginning of the spring selling season, and the second month saw dramatic declines.

This month values are up across the board, some by the largest amounts we have ever seen in a monthly update. A combination of surprisingly strong demand, coupled with drops in availability of units, has led to this resurgence in values,”

Read More»

2020-06-29

Small Signs of Recovery in Japan’s Domestic Motorcycle Market

Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

While car sales have been hit hard by the Coronavirus disaster, there are small signs of a recovery in the Japanese domestic motorcycle market. According to the Japan Mini Vehicle Association, new motorcycle sales in April 2020 (125 to 250cc) were up 2.0% YOY to 7,772 units.

This is the fourth consecutive month of YOY growth. Some observers believe this is a rebound from the decline following the October 2019 sales tax hike. This growth also is partly due to the growing need by commuters to use motorcycles as an alternative to public transportation to avoid coronavirus.

Read More»

2020-05-23

DATAPOINT: NA Personal Watercraft (PWC) 2020 Forecast: 88,300 Units

The 88,300 units is the estimate by Power Research of the number of Personal Watercraft (PWC) to be produced in North America (Canada, Mexico and the United States) in 2020.

This information comes from industry interviews and from two proprietary databases maintained by Power Systems Research: EnginLink™ , which provides information on engines, and OE Link™, a database of equipment manufacturers.

Read More»