The two-wheeler craze continues in Europe: sales of motorcycles and scooters accelerated further in the first quarter, the Association of European Motorcycle Manufacturers (Acem) said on Monday. Two-wheeler registrations in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom rose 14.6% year-on-year and exceeded pre-pandemic sales figures for the first quarter of 2019, reaching 226,793 units. The two-wheeler market thus continued to grow while the automobile market fell sharply, to less than 2 million units on the same scope. Scooters also grew by 3.5% in the six main European markets (France, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain), reaching 57,755 units. France and the Netherlands, the continent’s two main markets, however, suffered a slight decline. Electric models continued to grow, with 8,936 motorcycles and 19,045 battery-powered scooters sold.

“Two-wheeler registrations remained strong in the main European markets in the first quarter, despite logistical and industrial problems created by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Antonio Perlot, Secretary General of Acem. Preliminary data for the month of April, however, shows a “slight slowdown in some markets”, underlines Antonio Perlot, “related to the shortage of semiconductors and delays in delivery, affecting the availability of certain models”. “Sales in the coming months could be affected, up or down, by factors such as rising gas prices or the economic situation in Europe,” as spring and early summer are highlights for two-wheeler sales.