The surge in US scooter sales

SCOOTER SALES AND SCOOTER PART SALES ARE BOOMING!!!

Yeay, we're all going to be rich! No, not really. It's taking off, but the magic is in the numbers so you have to carefully analyze what's happening to see the real winners of the US scooter sales boom this year.

Sales all over the world are booming when it comes to scooters. Americans tend to forget gas is going up everywhere not just here. We're just not used to inflation. I keep thinking scooters will really take off once gas hits $5 and when you think about it America will be better off in the long run for it. We need $5 gas so that cities like Miami, Denver, LA, will invest in more metro-rails. Seriously, I would like the whole world to be covered in the Disney style monorails you take at the magic kingdom. I mean weren't those supposed to be like high tech back in the 60's and thier still the best monorails in the world. It just shows how corrupt and innefficient local authorities are in this country when it comes to public transportation. Reminds me of the whole story behind Roger Rabbit and how the auto industry destroyed the trolly system and got rid of toon town. Only toon town in Miami is city hall with its thirty years of innefficiencies when it comes to building a working monorail system.

However, we have a solution. More scooters. Yes, more scooters will make sure I'm not stuck in traffic for two hours. Miami is starting to look a lot more like a small Italian city with the number of bikes I see on the road and I'm starting to like it. I might not be importing bikes anymore, but now I can appreciate all the brands regardless of who imports them because they are not my competition. Simply put the more scooters on the road the more demand there is for MRP and our work here.

My friends in the UK are telling us that sales are up there as well. The UK has some of the highest fuel prices and car taxes in Europe right now. Their version of the MIC or Motorcycle Industry Association show that scooters are up about 20%. In the US its much higher our MIC says 28%. Our MIC only includes a handful of companies so theres no way of knowing who is really selling what. So there's no way of confirming say SYM, Lifan, Linhai, or even Genuine sales because none report to the MIC the true numbers. You can go by US customs data but that also doesnt say much because you dont know whats sitting on the dealer floors. So the US market is hard to figure out. I've tried for the last 8 years and honestly most reporters don't dig that deep they just copy whatever the Piaggio press release says or the PR agency thats pushing the annual sales increase in the US market. I should know I used to be one of the guy paying the PR agencies.

With gas currently selling at nearly £1.20 or like $8.50 a gallon sales in the UK are bound to go higher. Italy is also having a good year in sales. Scooter sales figures in Italy and much of Europe are public knowledge so its easy to see what brands are selling the best. It seems that when you look at the top ten European Scooter markets there is a huge difference with the US. What you see in Europe is basically the best selling brands are in order Honda, Piaggio, Peugeot, Yamaha, and in the Maxi range the Suzuki dominates in sales next to Honda and Piaggio group. Piaggio group has Aprilia, Gillera, Vespa, and Piaggio so they dominate most sales lists in most countries like in Spain with Derbi in the sub 125 category and in much of Europe with Vespa sales. If you look at the list closely you will see several Aprilia models in the top sellers yet in the US they only move close to 2,000 pieces a year. That's because Piaggio's main goal is Vespa and the company doesn't properly promote Aprilia. I honestly think this year they could have sold several thousand more had they had the variety they have in Europe. They took Derbi out of the market so they wouldnt compete against themselves which was another mistake. Derbi had quite a following thanks to Ozz Imports and the work Ozzy Saez did for ten years as the importer. He built the following in the USA and not a week goes by that MRP doesnt sell a belt or a cylinder kit for the Derbi brand. We still sell more Derbi parts than parts for new bikes like Daelim or Piaggio which tells me something about the passion behind the ownership of this brand. Maybe Piaggio should look into that.

There is a huge difference with the US where recently CPI has shut its sales office and Daelim is switching importers. Both these brands do extremely well in Europe. It's a shame they werent marketed right in the USA because both could have done an amazing job. Daelim has some sick looking 125 units and the new Besbi 125 is the best retro scooter I've seen. Companies like PGO hardly have any sales in Europe, but the US importer Genuine has done an amazing job in marketing the Bubu units (Buddy in the USA) but in Europe it doesnt even appear on the map as a selling unit since some countries don't have importers for the brand. I think the factory is now taking lessons in marketing from its US importer because supposedly Genuine is the best importer in the world right now for the brand. It's amazing how a small importer was able to kick Vespa's butt in their own dealerships this year.

PGO is relatively small compared to the giants in Taiwan. The main Taiwanese OEMs are Kymco and SYM. Kymco which wasnt on any top list in Europe when I first went to Spain 15 years ago now appears everywhere. You can't walk in Rome without seeing a Kymco. Both are giving Italian brands a run for the money. SYM has a top selling unit in several countries in the 125cc range and they've done extremely well with Carter this year. When I first started importing the SYM line in 2003 nobody wanted to buy them because of the price, but since then the American consumer has changed and more and more consumers are willing to pay for a quality Asian scooter like a SYM, PGO, or Kymco. These are often purchased at smaller mom and pop dealerships which now have a market for them like never before. These brands also have higher returns than say a Vespa or Honda which have almost not margins whatsoever for the American dealership.

For example these are the best selling Luxury and Sport 125 category scooters (150cc units are not popular because of licensing laws in Europe)

Luxury Scooter 125

Honda
FES 125 Pantheon
Aprilia
Atlantic 125
Aprilia
Leonardo 125
Daelim
NS 125 III
Daelim
S2 125
Daelim
SL 125 History
Jialing
JL 125 T Speedeyes
Kymco
B&W 125
Kymco
New Dink 125
Kymco
Grand Dink 125
Linhai
LH 125 Monarch
Malaguti
Madison 3 125
Peugeot
Elystar 125
Peugeot
Satelis 125
Piaggio
MP 3 125
Piaggio
X8 125 /Street
Piaggio
X9 125
San Yang
GTS 125 Voyager /Joymax
San Yang
Joyride 125
Suzuki
UH 125 Burgman
Yamaha
YP 125 Majesty

Sport Scooter 125

Peugeot
Speedfight 2 100
CPI
Hussar /Oliver 125
Derbi
GP 1 125
Gilera
Nexus 125
Gilera
Runner VX 125
Keeway
KW 125 T Arn /Matrix
Malaguti
Phantom Max 125
Peugeot
Jetforce 125
San Yang
Shark 125
Yamaha
XP 125 X-Max
XP 125 Skycruiser

Then you have the Maxi Scooters


Big Luxury Scooter 150-250cc

Honda
FES 150 Pantheon
Peugeot
Elystar 150
Piaggio
X8 150 Street
Suzuki
UH 150 Burgman
Yamaha
YP 180 Majesty
Kymco
New Dink 200 i.e.
Piaggio
X8 200
San Yang
Joyride 200
Suzuki
UH 200 Burgman
Honda
FES 250 Foresight
Honda
NSS 250 Forza /EX
Honda
JAZZ 250
Aprilia
Atlantic 250
Daelim
S2 250
Kymco
B&W 250
Kymco
Grand Dink 250
Kymco
Xciting 250 i.e.
Malaguti
Madison 3 250
Peugeot
Satelis 250
Piaggio
MP 3 250
Piaggio
X8 250
Piaggio
X9 250 Evolution
San Yang
GTS 250 Voyager /Joymax
Suzuki
AN 250 Burgman
Yamaha
YP 250 Majesty


Honda
SH 150
CF Moto
E-Charm /Ona 150
CF Moto
E-Jewel /Urban-R 150
Kymco
People 150
Malaguti
Ciak Master 150
Aprilia
Sportcity 200
Aprilia
Scarabeo 200 Street
Kymco
People S 200 i.e.
Malaguti
Ciak Master 200
San Yang
HD 200 /Evo
Piaggio
Beverly 200
Piaggio
Carnaby 200
Piaggio
Liberty 200 /S
Aprilia
Scarabeo 250
Aprilia
Sportcity 250
Kymco
People S 250 i.e.
Malaguti
Password 250
Peugeot
Geopolis 250 /ABS
Piaggio
Beverly 250 /Cruiser
Yamaha
X-City 250

If we are to assume the US market is ten years behind Europe when it comes to the scooter craze I still believe our next big area of growth will be the MAXI Scooter range. There's a reason Yamaha is unleashing the T-Max this year. They have the market data to know this is what Americans want. It also has better margins for the dealers than the 50cc units which hardly make any money for the stores.

If you look at the list above you will also notice a name like CF Moto. This is mainland China. The company is also having a great year in the USA and their numbers are impressive. So far the US subsidiary has doubled the number of stores and there are waiting lists for the V3 250cc unit. If you look at the fact that in 2 years they are on the best selling list in Europe it should say something about the future of the company in America.

I also noticed something on the list this year. The fact that Honda and Suzuki in the US have been slow to take notice of the scooter surge. They havent started importing all the cooler units they sell in other countries. I think this is a huge mistake. Companies like Kymco, SYM, CF Moto have the funding and the factories now produce in mainland China. They are building strong distribution networks in the USA. American Honda dealers neglect scooters and need training. Most of them dont offer a scooter performance or accessories center. Basically you buy your Ruckus at a Honda dealership and then you take down the street to the MRP mom and pop shop for customization. They keep loosing business and sales because their dealers arent trained. By the time they catch on and release newer models in the USA it will be too late.

Overall I'm impressed with what I'm seeing on the list in both Europe and the US. Everyone is having a great year in the USA. Im surprised some companies like Adly closed its doors and had to set up an importer. The brand is probably in better hands now that Hammerhead is the distributor. American sales teams and marketing teams tend to do better than Taiwanse management when it comes to selling to Americans (just look at what Genuine did with PGO) the same applies to CPI. The company had the ultimate scooter with the GTR. It was the bastard son of Superman and a Dragster 180. I can't believe they were unable to build a brand around such a cool looking bike. Now that both companies will have new representation I have a feeling the scooters will sell a lot better.

Compared to the cost of a new car, motor scooters are a real bargain. They are not for everyone. If you have no balance or have ADD I highly suggest you dont drive one. I sold scooters at a dealership and I saw people crash right on the test drive. I also think everyone in Florida and any other state should have to take a scooter driving class. American's arent used to drving in he rain either. Seems like the moment it rains in Miami everyone on a scooter falls off a bridge or something, so take it slow when your in the rain. That's the most important advice I can give besides wearing a helmet. It's a no helmet state and if I have to go anywhere on an open road I wear one. I might not have one in some of my videos, but I've been riding 20 plus years so I know. Whether a motor scooter is right for you depends on many questions that you need to ask yourself and your dealer.

So yes, the US market is taking off and sales are going up. A lot of dealers that were calling me in December fearing they were going to close can now make their payments on their house and are probably making a lot more money than they should. My next rant will remind them to accessorize and save for the winter. In any case I'm happy that overall the US market is doing well and there is siffucient room for growth. All the companies from Kymco, Genuine, SYM, TGB, Diamo are all reporting higher sales. That to me is progress and a good future for the US emerging scooter industry.

Ok, Hellboy is about to start but that's it for my weekly rant. If you would like to know more about the emerging US market and whats going on in the scooter world email me or read some of my articles on http://justgottascoot.com/