Tax write-off lifts sales of new motorcycles, quad bikes and utility vehicles, up 24.5 per cent in the first half of 2020.
Sales of quad bikes – also known as All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) – and utility vehicles are up more than 50 per cent in the first six months of the 2020 calendar year, data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows.
Sales of tractors were also up in June, according to the Tractor & Machinery Association.
FCAI member companies release the data to the chamber on a quarterly basis – which the FCAI says represents about 90 per cent of all motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and UTVs sold in Australia.
The data shows a total of 52,838 new motorcycles, ATVs and UTVs were sold from January to June 2020, in comparison to 42,457 sold during the same period in 2019.
FCAI chief executive Tony Weber says this is a bright spot in what for many has been a negative economic environment.
“A year-on-year increase of 24.5 per cent is significant, and signals improving conditions for both members and dealers,” he says.
Of these, ATVs and UTVs were the most popular, with a total of 14,545 sales compared to 9,638 sales in the first half of 2019.
“The ATV and SSV segment is up a remarkable 50.9 per cent and now represents 27.5 per cent of the total market,” Weber says.
“We understand this is due to the Government’s instant asset write-off program which makes the purchase of farm machinery and equipment very attractive at the present time.”
“And off-road bikes are also on fire, with an increase of 42.4 per cent, and claiming 39.5 per cent of the total market.”
Sales of Off-Road motorcycles, which include models such as the Kawasaki KLX 110 and the Honda CRF 110F reported 20,885 sales in the half year, compared to 14,666 in the same period 2019.
This is a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Weber says.
“People can’t go for overseas holidays, and for quite some time, they couldn’t even go for holidays within Australia,” he says.
“So, we believe that, instead of spending up big on expensive family vacations, people are treating themselves in different ways – and this could mean they are taking up new sports like trail bike riding.”
Buyers seemingly did not share the same enthusiasm for roads, however, with sales of road motorcycles down 2.7 per cent to 15,243 sales during the first half, and scooter sales down 12.8 per cent to 2,166.