THERE’S NO IGNORING the chaos that our country is in, especially after the crushing defeat of Theresa May’s EU withdrawal agreement in the House of Commons yesterday.
And as Brexit looms, the motorcycle market appears to be showing the strain. While motorcycle sales in 2018 were 2.9% up on the year before, December suffered a shocker – something that the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) has attributed to the impending reality of Brexit.
Sales of powered-two-wheelers plummeted by 17.9%, from 6,266 in December 2017 to 5,142 in the last month of 2018. This decline was felt worse by the scooter market, in which units sold dropped by almost a third.
And dealers have been warned that this trend will continue into the first quarter of 2019, due to the economic uncertainty of Brexit.
NMDA head Stephen Latham explained: “2018 was a turbulent year for the motorcycle market, driven by political and economic uncertainty over Brexit.
“However, overall sale volumes were broadly in line with the previous year showing that consumers are still choosing to purchase new bikes.”
“Overall dealers are optimistic that the market will perform well long term in 2019, however they remain cautious that the first few months of the year is likely to have a negative impact on sales as uncertainties around Brexit continue.”
Keep your eyes peeled for our complete breakdown on what Brexit means for bikers, coming soon...
