Year 2009 in retrospect: 125 cc plus take the lead
From a biking point of view, in 2009 Suzuki fans could be absolutely satisfied with their favorites in the over 125 cc category, where the brand sales got No1 position with 971 registered units. Suzuki was successful not only in the over 125 cc category, but also in other segments, 50 % of its model range making it to the Top 20 of models in Hungary.
The general economic decline has not passed by without a trace in 2009 on the motorcycle market either, with an almost 54 % decline of registrations from 2008, which is a bit less then the decline of the car market, though equally dramatic. The total sales figure of the Hungarian motorcycle market reached 3,609 units* by the end of last year, out of which 1,001 units belonged to the Suzuki brand. All in all, Suzuki retained its market leader position for the eighths consecutive year in Hungary with respect to motorcycle sales.
One of Suzuki's strengths lies in the expertise of manufacturing big displacement motorcycles, and that strength was manifested in topping the category. The ultimate leaders among Suzuki bikes were the over 125 cc models, which dominated the market with 971 unit sales, with 11 models ranking among the Top 20 sellers on the Hungarian market.
As regards success measured on he basis of customer feedback and sales results, the most favoured categories were those representing a more rational biking adventure, like touring bikes, such as the 650 cc Bandit GSF650/S; choppers like the VZ800 Intruder, Burgman scooter models or the sport enduro tourer V Storm.
The most significant novelties of last year were the Supersport GSX-R1000, the exceedingly rider-friendly GLADIUS with the legendary V2 engine and the 1500 cc super chopper Intruder. GLADIUS' excellence was also recognised by Suzuki motorcycle designers' winning the "Good Design Awards 2009" trophy for the excellent styling design of Japanese domestic models GLADIUS SFV650 and SFV400. Another success category for Suzuki was the quad/ATV segment, which performed well with 169 units sold in Hungary.
"Despite the moderate sales results for last year, domestic customers became more and more price sensitive. Buying on bank loan deteriorated, but offering foreign currency credits with fixed exchange rates and Hungarian forint based financing constructions Suzuki tried to protect motorcycle buyers from losses due to varying exchange rates", said Gábor Bajók, Sales Director of the Motorcycle Department of Magyar Suzuki Corporation.
As regards the expectations for 2010, estimates for sales figures remain unchanged, but with experts predicting a slow recovery to start in the 2nd half of this year, one of the strongest players on the motorcycle market financially as well as technologically, Suzuki can make profit, relying strongly on the loyalty of Suzuki motorcycle fans.
* Source: Datahouse Kft.
Background information
New registration TOP 20 in 2009 - over 125 cc
|
Ranking |
Model |
CC |
Category |
Piece |
|
1 |
SUZUKI GSF 650 |
656 |
NAKED |
114 |
|
2 |
SUZUKI M 800 |
805 |
CHOPPER |
102 |
|
3 |
HONDA CBF 600 |
599 |
NAKED |
78 |
|
4 |
HONDA CB 600 F |
599 |
NAKED |
66 |
|
5 |
SUZUKI AN 400 |
385 |
SCOOTER BIG |
66 |
|
6 |
HONDA VT 750 |
745 |
CHOPPER |
64 |
|
7 |
HONDA CBR 600 RR |
599 |
S.SPORT |
63 |
|
8 |
SUZUKI DL 650 |
645 |
ON-OFF |
60 |
|
9 |
BMW R 1200 GS |
1170 |
ON-OFF |
59 |
|
10 |
SUZUKI GSX 1300 |
1340 |
S.TOURING |
55 |
|
11 |
SUZUKI GSF 1250 |
1255 |
NAKED |
54 |
|
12 |
SUZUKI AN 650 |
638 |
SCOOTER BIG |
54 |
|
13 |
SUZUKI VZR 1800 |
1783 |
CHOPPER |
54 |
|
14 |
SUZUKI SV 650 |
645 |
NAKED |
51 |
|
15 |
YAMAHA FZ6-S |
600 |
NAKED |
50 |
|
16 |
SUZUKI GSX-R 600 |
599 |
S.SPORT |
48 |
|
17 |
HONDA VFR 800 |
782 |
S.TOURING |
47 |
|
18 |
HONDA CBF 1000 |
998 |
NAKED |
44 |
|
19 |
HONDA CB 1000 |
998 |
NAKED |
42 |
|
20 |
SUZUKI GSX-R 1000 |
988 |
S.SPORT |
42 |
