Italian Motorcycles Market starts 2025 with dealers cleaning up vehicles self-registered in the previous quarter, resulting in a sharp decline of new vehicles registrations. Year to date March sales have been 73.777 (-13.3%).
Economic Outlook
Italian GDP is expected to grow 0.8% in 2025, following the mere 0.5% reported in 2024.
In 2024, GDP growth was supported by net foreign demand (+0.7 percentage points), while domestic demand will contribute negatively (-0.2 p.p.). In 2025, however, the growth of the Italian economy will be primarily driven by domestic demand (+0.8 p.p.).
Household private consumption will continue to be bolstered by the strengthening labour market and the increase in real wages; the persistence of these trends will result in a slight acceleration of their growth rate in 2025 (+1.1%, following +0.6% in 2024).
The rapid decrease in the inflation rate, driven by lower energy prices in 2024, will underpin a significant deceleration in the household spending deflator (+1.1%, compared to +5.1% in 2023). In 2025, stable incomes and consumption levels are expected to increase household spending deflator (+2.0%).
Euro 5 Plus rules
With the Euro 5+ introduction, the limit values for motorcycles pollutants have been retained, but the difficult task of proving the durability of exhaust gas aftertreatment has been postponed from 2020 (Euro 5 introduction) until 2025, to the Euro 5+ standard, as it is now called.
At the same time, new regulations on noise measurement will apply from January 1, 2025, namely those in accordance with UNECE R41.05. The limit values do not change compared to the previously applied R41.04, but they must be achieved under significantly more operating conditions.
Market Data and Trend
The two-wheeler market in Italy is experiencing significant momentum, with sales steadily increasing over the years despite a slight setback reported in 2020. The momentum has continued into 2024, following the strong +15.9% jump reported in the previous year, when the market hit the highest level out of the last 15 years.
Then, in the last quarter, mainly in December, the registrations peaked up, due to the need to register all the stock of Euro 5 vehicles, because since January 2025 EU have introduced new emission limits (Euro 5 Plus).
With December sales boomed at 29.333 (+198%) the 2024 ended with 373.360 (+10%) sales. However, between 20-30K hae been registered to the OEMs or dealers and this will be a huge stock to be sold in early 2025.
Indeed, the start of 2025 is reflecting the dealers need to sell off all self-registered vehicles as soon as possible, offering a well discounted deal on those models, resulting in a sharp decline of new vehicles registrations. Year to date March sales have been 73.777 (-13.3%).
Both Scooter (-4.8%) and Motorcycle (-22.4%) segments are losing, and no exceptions for the EVs segment, down 30.5%.
Performance of Leading Manufacturers
Looking at the manufacturer’s 2025 performance, Honda (+1.8%), Piaggio (-20.9%) and Yamaha (-20.3%) are on the podium.
Immediately after there is Kymco, losing 25.9%, followed by BMW (-10.4%) SYM (+12.1%) and the raising stars, Voge, (+94.5%).
Other fast growing brands are CF Moto (+77.5%), QJ MOtor (+134%), Yadea (+85%).
