Mathilde Carlier
Research Expert covering transportation and logistics
Motorcycle market in Italy - statistics & facts
Italy and its motorcycle history
Mild weather is a precondition for a safe and sound motorcycle road transportation. While having mild weather suitable for motorcycle, Italy is known for its history of the motorcycle industry. The advent of Italian motorcycle history dates back to the early 1900s when Italian small firms tried to catch up with the pace of industrialization across the world. This tendency led to the revival of new technological manufacturing in the country, namely producing local motorcycles. Although Italy does not have the largest motorcycle or scooter manufacturers nowadays, the country is one of the leading European markets for motorcycles. Industrial region and economic hub of Italy, namely Lombardy, recorded the highest number of registered motorcycles in Italy over the recent years. As one of the leading motorcycle producers, Honda is also one of the dominant motorcycle brands in Italy. For instance, more than 54,600 Honda motorcycles were registered in Italy in 2019.Recent developments in the Italian motorcycle market
The recent European banking crisis left its traces on the Italian economy as a whole. Mostly because of this banking crisis, almost every part of the economy started to get paralyzed since 2010. Between 2010 and 2014, the Italian motorcycle and scooters manufacturing industry experienced a deep recession. Although still far away from its 2010 levels, the number of scooters and motorcycles produced in Italy started to rebound since 2015. During 2018, the motorcycle manufacturers in the country made over 252,000 motorcycles and scooters. On the other hand, one must also remember that Italy also imports most of its motorcycle supply in the economy. The share of motorcycles exported from European Union countries to Italy reached over 80 percent of total motorcycle and scooter import. In 2018, over 35,000 enduro type motorcycles were sold in Italy.Investment opportunities and returns on Italian motorcycle manufacturing
As the Italian economy started to somehow recover from the wreaks of the recent banking crisis that hit the industrial production in the country, investment opportunities also expanded in the Italian economy. Increasing profitability of the Italian motorcycle manufacturing industry could be observed from earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) as a share of the production value of the motorcycle manufacturing industry in Italy. Since 2017, this value increased continuously and is expected to reach its apex by 2021. Similarly, the return on equity (ROE) and return on investment (ROI) of the motorcycle manufacturing in Italy is estimated to follow a steady growth path in the upcoming years. Thus, the Italian motorcycle manufacturing may prove to be quite a lucrative opportunity.
