Taiwan's 2014 PTW Sales Basically Unchanged From Previous Year
2015/01/28 | By Quincy LiangDriven by strong sales in December, sales of new powered two-wheelers (PTWs) in Taiwan totaled 667,390 units in 2014, slightly down 0.1% from the previous year (667,973 units sold), according to statistics compiled by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC).
Backed by all the major PTW vendors' sales promotions and restocking by distributors, some 45,528 new PTWs were licensed in December 2014, up 25.5% from the same period of last year or year-on-year (YoY). The eye-catching sales volume in December ended the volume downtrend over the previous three months, to have maintained the 2014 volume sold equal to that in the previous year.
Most PTW vendors in Taiwan predict new-PTW sales in 2015 on the island to be similar to that in the previous two years, to be about 660,000 units, or could even improve if Sanyang Industry Co., Ltd. (SYM brand) finds its earlier sales momentum, which has been sapped by its operating-right disputes in the past two years or so.
KYMCO leads
Kwang Yang Motor Co., Ltd. (KYMCO) retained its 15-year lead in the domestic PTW market in 2014 by vending 283,606 new PTWs in Taiwan (271,867 units sold in 2013), a 4.30% YoY increase (3.60 percent in 2013) to take market share of 42.5% (40.7% in 2013). The consistent leader easily achieved its original sales target of 280,000 units in 2014, with 19,576 new PTWs licensed in December, a 32.6% YoY increase.
The No. 2 Yamaha Motor Taiwan Co. (Yamaha) sold 13,478 units in December, up 15.4% YoY, to post 2014 sales volume of 206,497 units (192,557 units sold in 2013), a 7.2% YoY increase, to take annual market share of 30.9% (28.8% in 2013).
SYM was the No. 3 in 2014 by selling 104,966 units (142,667 units sold in 2013) for market share of 15.7% (21.4% in 2013) and a 26.4% YoY shipment decrease. The maker suddenly slowed shipments in H2, 2014 to enable distributors clear inventory, having sold, however, 6,235 new PTWs in December, up 16.1% YoY to suggest a rebound from the bottom.
Second-class BrandsTaiwan's domestic PTW market has long been dominated by the top-3 brands to leave only sub-10% share to second-class brands, of which PGO (Motive Power Industry Co. Ltd.) and Aeon (Aeon Motor Co., Ltd.) have been earnestly developing products and marketing to reverse such trend.
In 2014 these second-class makers won a market share of 10.8% (9.1% in 2013) by vending 72,321 new PTWs (60,882 units sold in 2013), up 18.8% YoY.
Mature Market With widening availability of mass rapid transit (MRT) systems in major cities and continuously falling birth rate, Taiwan in recent years has become a mature PTW market with stagnant annual-sales-volume increase. Most industry experts and PTW vendors predict annual sales volume of new PTWs on the island to remain 650,000 units over the next few years.
Market observers say that the PTW market in Taiwan may undergo changes in 2015 provided SYM manages to find solutions to its internal problems to focus on domestic sales again.
New PTW Sales in Taiwan (2014) | ||||||
Maker
| Dec. 2014 Volume
| Market Share
| YoY
| 2014 Volume
| Market Share
| YoY
|
KYMCO
| 19,576
| 43.0%
| 32.6%
| 283,606
| 42.5%
| 4.3%
|
Yamaha Taiwan
| 6,235
| 13.7%
| 16.1%
| 206,497
| 30.9%
| 7.2%
|
SYM
| 13,478
| 29.6%
| 15.4%
| 104,966
| 15.7%
| -26.4%
|
Others
| 6,239
| 13.7%
| 39.5%
| 72,321
| 10.8%
| 18.8%
|
Total
| 45,528
| 100.0%
| 25.5%
| 667,390
| 100.0%
| -0.09%
|
Source: MOTC
|