YAMAHA JAPAN has predicted a further slump in motorcycle sales worldwide, forecasting as much as a 20 per cent drop in North America and Europe.
The figure, released Wednesday this week by the company's Chief Executive Officer Hiroyuki Yanagi, doubles company's original forecast of a 10 per cent slump in motorcycle sales.
Yamaha, the world's second largest motorcycle manufacturer, is facing a seriously unsteady future; the company is in the process of closing production plants are the world, including factories in Italy and the United States. It's believed Yamaha will shed 1,000 jobs in 2010, having already made over 1,100 jobless in 2009.
Although the figures paint a relatively depressing picture for Yamaha, Mr Yanagi said the company was expecting to break even in 2010 thanks to a 14 per cent growth in the Asian market.
