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Premium brands BMW and Ducati both recently announced solid sales numbers for 2019, built on a steady base in Europe and significant growth spurts in markets such as China and Brazil. The sales numbers also make it clear that the U.S. motorcycle market is not where the action is.
BMW is quite a bit larger than Ducati. Bavaria’s 175,162 bikes sold around the world last year dwarf Bologna’s 53,183. Still, both have some things in common, as key players in the premium segment that have expanded into new market segments. Let’s see what the numbers tell us, starting with BMW.
In the blue corner...
BMW Motorrad posted its ninth straight record sales year. Nine! In this market, it’s positively impressive to see a premium manufacturer maintain growth like that.
Right now, BMW’s lineup is fairly broad and deep. From the approachable 310 series and trendy R nineT Heritage motorcycles to the ultra-luxe tourers and sharp S line, BMW has most major segments covered, other than cruisers and dirt bikes. That may change this year as BMW rolls out the much-hyped R18 cruiser.
No surprise, the big R 1250 GS models lead sales. BMW transitioned from the 1200 to the ShiftCam-equipped 1250 platform for 2019, selling “over 59,000 units of the two GS models,” BMW reported. The smaller F 750 GS, F 850 GS, and G 310 GS models only added to to the GS line’s success. Motorcycling just can’t get enough of BMW’s adventure bikes.
Germany remains the brand’s biggest market with 26,292 bikes sold domestically. The United States and Canada only accounted for a small part of BMW’s sales, with 15,116 units sold “in a difficult market environment.” Putting it kindly, isn’t it?
BMW’s biggest gains were in China (up 16.6 percent) and Brazil (up 36.7 percent). The 10,064 bikes sold in the South American country mean that roughly one in 17 BMW motorcycles sold is in Brazil, making it BMW Motorrad’s sixth most important market. China is no surprise, but what’s the deal with Brazil?
The world’s sixth most populous nation is currently experiencing a period of economic growth, driving interest in premium motorcycles like BMWs in a market long dominated by utilitarian Hondas. Even better, Brazil is full of motorcyclists who ride for daily transportation, not just leisure. While BMW won’t be taking Honda down any time soon, they’re staking out a position as the premium choice in a market full of aspirational riders. I would not be surprised to see Brazillian sales surpass North America’s in a few years.
In the red corner...
Ducati posted a slight gain in sales, with 53,183 motorcycles sold in 2019. It just melts my brain that BMW sold more big GSes last year than all of Ducati’s bikes combined. That’s not to say that Ducati underperformed, it’s just a difference in scale and strategy.
"2019 was a tough but also rewarding year. We're working to make Ducati the world's most desirable motorcycle brand," said Ducati Motor Holding’s CEO Claudio Domenicali. "And the results we're achieving, the development of the range and the market response all confirm we're on the right track.”
As with BMW, Ducati’s biggest sales are in its home country. Gotta support the home team. Sales in the United States were down two percent. However, Ducati posted big gains in Brazil and China, as well, with increases of 20 percent and 12 percent, respectively.
Ducati’s year-end summary credited Panigale sales (8,304) as “a major contribution” to the company's success last year, going on call it “the world's best-selling superbike with a market share of 25 percent.” I’d be interested to see how they define “superbikes,” because I’m thinking that market is larger than 33,000 units per year.
The Hypermotard 950 and Diavel 1260 outsold their predecessors, the Multistrada line is up marginally, and the popular Scrambler line is holding steady. One bit of news was hidden in the numbers: “The Ducati Scrambler range — which saw the new 800 Dark presented at EICMA — will see the introduction of a new model in the coming months.” That’ll probably be the production version of the Desert X concept, although Ducati also showed a Scrambler-based supermoto concept at EICMA. Spurgeon was pretty gung-ho about the Desert X when it came out. Hope he gets his wish.
In the red, white, and blue corner…
The United States still matters to BMW and Ducati, but it’s not a growth market. Both companies rely on sales in Europe and developing markets for the big gains, while continuing to hold steady in North America. To put this in perspective, Ducati delivered 7,682 bikes in the United States last year, and 9,474 in Italy. Yet the U.S. population is five and a half times larger than Italy’s! BMW experienced a similar sales trend, with almost identical sales in the same markets. (BMW groups Canada and the United States together when reporting.) North Americans are buying Ducatis and BMWs, just at a far lower per capita rate than Italy and other nations that love their premium Eurorides.
So what’s next for these two brands? BMW will reap the sales of their recent lineup expansion, and I’d be surprised if we didn’t see a big boxer cruiser in the next year. Ducati will bring a new variation of the Scrambler, and they’ll also see the impact of their V4 program and other projects like EVs. And the interesting action will continue to happen in countries outside North America.
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