German Motorcycles Market plummet in Q1 2025. Over 30K self-registrations in the previous quarter have penalized heavily the first quarter 2025 performance with Year to Date March sales at 39.055 (+31.8%) the worst performance globally in this period of time.
Economic Outlook
The German economy is stuck in crisis, with both cyclical and structural factors having a negative impact. The economy contracted for the second consecutive year in 2024, highlighting the depth of the downturn gripping Europe’s biggest economy.
Germany’s economy shrank by 0.2% over the full year – in line with economists’ forecasts – and by 0.1% in the final quarter, the Federal Statistics Office said, suggesting little sign of an imminent reprieve.
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.
Motorcycles Market Data and Trend
During the last four years, the 2-wheeler market in Germany has been stable, keeping the level hit in the 2020, when covid emergency pushed up the market at over 230.000 annual sales.
Indeed, a weak economy and low consumption rates, with high inflation are not supporting demand for new motorcycles. And considering that the expected push up created by electric vehicles is vanishing after an early start, the market is having difficulties to grow up.
And so it was during the first ten months of the 2024 as the market was declining, reaching 205.302 sales (-3.0%).
However, in November and December dealers and OEMs have been forced to self register a huge bulk of stock and the final year was apparently shocking, with sales at 252.724 (+12.6%).
But these 30K vehicles have penalized heavily the first quarter 2025 performance with Year to Date March sales at 39.055 (+31.8%) the worst performance globally in this period of time.
Performance of Leading Manufacturers
Looking at top manufacturer’s performance, almost all of them are reporting deep lost.
Honda is confirming the previous year leadership with sales down 18%.
In second place BMW’s lost were deeper (-30.0%), while Piaggio was a bit better (-17.5%).
In 4th place Kawasaki (-15.2%) ahead of Yamaha (-38.1%), Triumph (-0.5%) and Ducati (-14.8%).
