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The value of globally imported motorcycles including mopeds totaled US$27.5 billion in 2020.
The dollar amount spent on motorbikes imported in 2020 reflects a 48.6% increase from the $18.5 billion for motorcycles imported during 2016.
Year over year, sales of imported motorcycles to international buyers accelerated by a more modest 4.6% since 2019.
In addition, imports of motorcycle parts or accessories generated another $8.4 billion worth of international purchases during 2020.
The 5 biggest consumer markets for buying imported motorcycles were worth well over a third (36.5%) of worldwide spending on motorbike imports. The highest cashflows are generated from international motorbike buyers in: United States (10.1% of the global total), Germany (9.2%), France (6.9%), Netherlands (6.1%) and Nigeria (4.3%).
The following analysis focuses on incisive metrics measuring consumer demand in the top 100 global markets for buying imported motorcycles.
By comparing changes in consumer demand for these imported commodities by country, we can uncover the most attractive opportunities for selling motorcycles and related products and services on international markets.
Motorbikes Are Consumer Shopping Products
Motorcycles meet the criteria of a consumer good (also called an end product) created by businesses for consumers to buy in its final form. In contrast, products like turbojets are usually purchased by companies or government entities rather than individuals.
Economists classify motorcycles as shopping products, a technical classification for goods that are not as easily accessible as is the case for convenience products at ubiquitous corner stores or grocery shops.
A motorbike is also defined as a shopping product because it is durable since it can be re-used for at least 3 years; typically requires more time before the consumer makes a buying decision; and is not bought as often as less expensive items such as food or beverages.
Depending on maintenance and care, road conditions, motorbike brand and model, and a myriad of other factors including mileage, the average lifespan for a motorcycle free from any accidents or major breakdowns is from 12 to 15 years. To ensure longer motorbike usability, experts recommend keeping your motorbike clean, avoid overcharging the phone battery, and protect against damages to the motorbike’s screen resulting from rough handling.
Imported Motorcycles Bought by Country
The sortable table below showcases marketing intelligence for the top 100 buyers of motorcycles, ranked in ascending order starting with the greatest annual sales amount. The 4-digit Harmonized System (HS) code is 8711 for motorcycles including mopeds and cycles fitted with an auxiliar motor.
The 6-digit HS codes pertinent to motorcycle parts or accessories are 871410, 871411 and 871419.
| Rank | Importer | US$ | %Total | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $2,768,067,000 | 10.1% | +11.6% |
| 2 | Germany | $2,530,334,000 | 9.2% | +9.5% |
| 3 | France | $1,896,100,000 | 6.9% | +2.8% |
| 4 | Netherlands | $1,689,232,000 | 6.1% | +14.7% |
| 5 | Nigeria | $1,169,793,000 | 4.3% | -15% |
| 6 | Italy | $1,074,471,000 | 3.9% | -5.3% |
| 7 | Philippines | $1,006,055,000 | 3.7% | -30.2% |
| 8 | Spain | $966,608,000 | 3.5% | +4.2% |
| 9 | Japan | $762,814,000 | 2.8% | +14.1% |
| 10 | United Kingdom | $761,020,000 | 2.8% | -3.4% |
| 11 | Switzerland | $716,425,000 | 2.6% | +31.9% |
| 12 | China | $699,340,000 | 2.5% | +95.7% |
| 13 | Austria | $595,331,000 | 2.2% | +19.1% |
| 14 | Belgium | $524,034,000 | 1.9% | +17.3% |
| 15 | Togo | $489,204,000 | 1.8% | +737% |
| 16 | Canada | $475,272,000 | 1.7% | -9.5% |
| 17 | Australia | $461,650,000 | 1.7% | -2.3% |
| 18 | South Korea | $454,306,000 | 1.7% | +31.7% |
| 19 | Vietnam | $367,319,000 | 1.3% | -15.4% |
| 20 | Myanmar | $333,287,000 | 1.2% | -10% |
| 21 | Hong Kong | $272,868,000 | 1% | -9.4% |
| 22 | Mexico | $269,201,000 | 1% | -21.4% |
| 23 | Thailand | $260,485,000 | 0.9% | -20.4% |
| 24 | Norway | $231,960,000 | 0.8% | +16.3% |
| 25 | Argentina | $218,503,000 | 0.8% | +12.1% |
| 26 | Sweden | $206,099,000 | 0.7% | +0.9% |
| 27 | Czech Republic | $199,816,000 | 0.7% | +2.3% |
| 28 | Iraq | $194,020,000 | 0.7% | +69.2% |
| 29 | Peru | $190,741,000 | 0.7% | +11.7% |
| 30 | Guatemala | $189,724,000 | 0.7% | +13.5% |
| 31 | Ghana | $182,819,000 | 0.7% | +254.7% |
| 32 | Poland | $180,246,000 | 0.7% | +81.6% |
| 33 | Cambodia | $179,462,000 | 0.7% | -35.7% |
| 34 | Russia | $165,278,000 | 0.6% | +20.2% |
| 35 | Portugal | $161,029,000 | 0.6% | -1.3% |
| 36 | Nepal | $156,369,000 | 0.6% | -25.4% |
| 37 | Denmark | $152,957,000 | 0.6% | +17.9% |
| 38 | Taiwan | $146,009,000 | 0.5% | +31.2% |
| 39 | Turkey | $142,860,000 | 0.5% | +50.6% |
| 40 | Malaysia | $137,675,000 | 0.5% | -5.6% |
| 41 | Kenya | $128,031,000 | 0.5% | -1.6% |
| 42 | New Zealand | $120,791,000 | 0.4% | -19.6% |
| 43 | Morocco | $117,865,000 | 0.4% | +10.1% |
| 44 | Greece | $115,308,000 | 0.4% | -1.4% |
| 45 | United Arab Emirates | $115,170,000 | 0.4% | +76.3% |
| 46 | Israel | $113,320,000 | 0.4% | -11.5% |
| 47 | Bangladesh | $112,226,000 | 0.4% | -46.9% |
| 48 | Guinea | $109,613,000 | 0.4% | +29.8% |
| 49 | Ecuador | $104,670,000 | 0.4% | +38% |
| 50 | Singapore | $93,114,000 | 0.3% | -39% |
| 51 | Finland | $85,305,000 | 0.3% | +30.7% |
| 52 | Chile | $85,264,000 | 0.3% | -30.2% |
| 53 | Sudan | $82,001,000 | 0.3% | +71.2% |
| 54 | Tanzania | $80,473,000 | 0.3% | -7.5% |
| 55 | Uganda | $77,358,000 | 0.3% | +2.4% |
| 56 | Colombia | $74,262,000 | 0.3% | -7.5% |
| 57 | Slovakia | $73,696,000 | 0.3% | +11% |
| 58 | Dominican Republic | $71,806,000 | 0.3% | -22% |
| 59 | Hungary | $71,787,000 | 0.3% | +21.2% |
| 60 | Laos | $71,570,000 | 0.3% | +197.2% |
| 61 | Mali | $70,456,000 | 0.3% | +66% |
| 62 | South Africa | $66,048,000 | 0.2% | -30.3% |
| 63 | Pakistan | $61,419,000 | 0.2% | -13.5% |
| 64 | Slovenia | $60,522,000 | 0.2% | +26.3% |
| 65 | Paraguay | $59,082,000 | 0.2% | -31.8% |
| 66 | Honduras | $58,606,000 | 0.2% | -19.7% |
| 67 | Ukraine | $54,836,000 | 0.2% | +26% |
| 68 | Indonesia | $54,328,000 | 0.2% | -25.5% |
| 69 | Benin | $54,038,000 | 0.2% | -1.2% |
| 70 | Sri Lanka | $52,945,000 | 0.2% | -73.8% |
| 71 | Cameroon | $52,929,000 | 0.2% | -6.9% |
| 72 | Iran | $52,826,000 | 0.2% | +65.8% |
| 73 | Romania | $50,921,000 | 0.2% | +19.5% |
| 74 | Burkina Faso | $50,771,000 | 0.2% | +10.9% |
| 75 | Bolivia | $48,459,000 | 0.2% | -1.8% |
| 76 | Yemen | $45,092,000 | 0.2% | -2.3% |
| 77 | Luxembourg | $40,367,000 | 0.1% | +27.1% |
| 78 | Costa Rica | $37,603,000 | 0.1% | -15.5% |
| 79 | Saudi Arabia | $37,315,000 | 0.1% | -9% |
| 80 | Croatia | $35,676,000 | 0.1% | +6% |
| 81 | Nicaragua | $35,529,000 | 0.1% | +58.7% |
| 82 | Ivory Coast | $33,785,000 | 0.1% | +69.7% |
| 83 | El Salvador | $33,625,000 | 0.1% | -17.8% |
| 84 | Ethiopia | $32,845,000 | 0.1% | -26.8% |
| 85 | Lithuania | $32,268,000 | 0.1% | +32.1% |
| 86 | Panama | $29,968,000 | 0.1% | -31.6% |
| 87 | Belarus | $29,820,000 | 0.1% | +51.1% |
| 88 | Democr. Rep. Congo | $29,738,000 | 0.1% | -18.4% |
| 89 | Brazil | $29,734,000 | 0.1% | -42.8% |
| 90 | Haiti | $29,579,000 | 0.1% | +42.7% |
| 91 | Algeria | $29,206,000 | 0.1% | -54.1% |
| 92 | Afghanistan | $26,611,000 | 0.1% | +579.7% |
| 93 | Oman | $26,151,000 | 0.1% | +40.4% |
| 94 | Angola | $26,045,000 | 0.1% | -17% |
| 95 | Egypt | $22,424,000 | 0.1% | -14.2% |
| 96 | Macao | $18,980,000 | 0.1% | +30.7% |
| 97 | Uruguay | $18,848,000 | 0.1% | -26.2% |
| 98 | Bulgaria | $18,564,000 | 0.1% | +28.6% |
| 99 | Tunisia | $17,136,000 | 0.1% | +484.6% |
| 100 | Iceland | $16,613,000 | 0.1% | +189.7% |
Among the above 100 key global markets, 54 countries increased their purchases of imported motorcycles. The 5 leading buying increases were Togo (up 737%), Afghanistan (up 579.7%), Tunisia (up 484.6%), Ghana (up 254.7%), Laos (up 197.2%) then Iceland (up 189.7%).
Leading the 46 decliners year over year were Sri Lanka (down -73.8%), Algeria (down -54.1%), Bangladesh (down -46.9%), Brazil (down -42.8%), Singapore (down -39%) and Cambodia (down -35.7%).
Richest Global Markets for Imported Motorcycles
Shown below is the market demand for motorbikes imported during 2020 by 30 of world’s richest countries in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person, according to RichestCountryReports.com.
Countries are listed in descending order starting with the wealthiest economy in terms of GDP per capita.
- Luxembourg: US$40.4 million (Up 27.1% from 2019)
- Singapore: $93.1 million (Down -39%)
- Ireland: $15.1 million (Down -0.8%)
- Qatar: $10.3 million (Up 7%)
- Macao: $19 million (Up 30.7%)
- Switzerland: $716.4 million (Up 31.9%)
- Norway: $232 million (Up 16.3%)
- United States: $2.8 billion (Up 11.6%)
- Brunei Darussalam: $2.2 million (Up 73.9%)
- Hong Kong: $272.9 million (Down -9.4%)
- Denmark: $153 million (Up 17.9%)
- Netherlands: $1.7 billion (Up 14.7%)
- United Arab Emirates: $115.2 million (Up 76.3%)
- Taiwan: $146 million (Up 31.2%)
- Iceland: $16.6 million (Up 189.7%)
- Austria: $595.3 million (Up 19.1%)
- Germany: $2.5 billion (Up 9.5%)
- Sweden: $206.1 million (Up 0.9%)
- Australia: $461.7 million (Down -2.3%)
- Belgium: $524 million (Up 17.3%)
- Finland: $85.3 million (Up 30.7%)
- Canada: $475.3 million (Down -9.5%)
- Bahrain: $4.8 million (Up 6.9%)
- France: $1.9 billion (Up 2.8%)
- Saudi Arabia: $37.3 million (Down -9%)
- United Kingdom: $761 million (Down -3.4%)
- South Korea: $454.3 million (Up 31.7%)
- Malta: $5.6 million (Down -31.8%)
- Japan: $762.8 million (Up 14.1%)
- New Zealand: $120.8 million (Down -19.6%)
Twenty-one among the above richest countries increased their spending on imported motorcycles from 2019 to 2020. The fastest increases belong to Iceland (up 189.3%), United Arab Emirates (up 76.3%), Brunei Darussalam (up 73.9%), Switzerland (up 31.9%), South Korea (up 31.7%), Taiwan (up 31.2%), Macao (up 30.7%) and Finland (also up 30.7%).
The severest declines in imports of motorcycles year over year belonged to: Singapore (down -39%), Malta (down -31.8%), New Zealand (down -19.6%), Canada (down -9.5%), Hong Kong (down -9.4%) and Saudi Arabia (down -9%).
Top Suppliers for US Imported Motorcycles
United States of America is the world’s biggest market for imported motorcycles as measured by total sales. Remarkably, its top 2 suppliers (mainland China, Japan) accounted for almost half (49%) of America’s purchases of imported motorcycles for 2020.
The following countries benefited the most from selling imported motorcycles into the US in 2020.
- China: US$913.1 million (33% of US total)
- Japan: $444.1 million (16%)
- Austria: $259 million (9.4%)
- Taiwan: $248.2 million (9%)
- Thailand: $220.8 million (8%)
- Germany: $198.3 million (7.2%)
- Italy: $132.8 million (4.8%)
- Canada: $107.2 million (3.9%)
- Mexico: $52.8 million (1.9%)
- Vietnam: $43.6 million (1.6%)
Six among the above major suppliers of motorcycles increased their sales to America from 2019 to 2020, led by: mainland China (up 58.8%), Taiwan (up 28.7%), Vietnam (up 27.5%) and Canada (up 23.5%).
The four annual decreases among America’s key motorbike sources were endured by Mexico (down -34.5%), Thailand (down -22.9%), Japan (down -15.9%) and Italy (down -8.5%).
Motorcycles Most Popular Import in One State
Virginia is the sole American state for which motorcycles placed among an individual state’s top 25 imported products. In dollar terms, Virginia spent $160.4 million on imported motorcycles during 2020.
That dollar amount represents a 32.9% boost in import spending for motorcycles from 2019 to 2020.
Average Unit Values for US Motorcycle Imports
The average unit value that American importers paid for foreign-made motorcycles in 2020 was $464, down by -52% from an average $967 during 2019. Note that average metric includes a significant quantity of mopeds and smaller automated cycles.
Below, you will find the average unit values for the top 10 export countries supplying motorbikes to importers in the United States during 2020, including mopeds.
- China: US$170 per average motorbike (down -41% from 2019)
- Japan: $5,647 (up 6.7%)
- Austria: $5,718 (down -7.9%)
- Taiwan: $1,226 (down -4.7%)
- Thailand: $3,521 (up 5.1%)
- Germany: $5,251 (down -10.6%)
- Italy: $7,211 (up 9.4%)
- Canada: $13,185 (up 2.6%)
- Mexico: $7,024 (up 13%)
- Vietnam: $986 (down -12.2%)
The relatively low average unit values for imported motorbikes from China and Vietnam reveal the preponderance of mopeds and smaller automated cycles in the imported motorcycle metrics for those Asian nations.
Higher-end motorcycles with corresponding costlier average unit values are attributes of imports from Canada, Italy and Mexico.
Enjoying the fastest increases in unit values charged to the US for imported motorcycles were Mexico (up 13%), Italy (up 9.4%) and Japan (up 6.7%).
Overall Quantity of US-Imported Motorcycles
In terms of overall product quantities, the United States imported a total 5.96 million motorbikes in 2020 including mopeds. The latest annual number of motorcycles imported into America is a 132.6% increase from the 2.6 million imported motorcycles that American importers bought in 2019 from international suppliers.
World’s Biggest Motorcycle Companies
Below you will find the multinational companies behind 10 of the strongest multinational brands for motorcycles. The list is ranked in descending order as assessed by Yahoo Finance.
- Yamaha Motor Co. (Shizuoka, Japan)
- Honda Motor Co. (Tokyo, Japan)
- Ducati (Borgo Panigale, Italy)
- Harley-Davidson (Milwaukee, USA)
- Bayerische Motoren Werke (Munich, Germany)
- Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Tokyo, Japan)
- Suzuki Motor Corp (Hamamatsu, Japan)
- Triumph Motorcycles (Hinckley, United Kingdom)
- KTM Industries (Mattighofen, Austria)
- Indian Motorcycle/Polaris Inc (Medina, USA)
Shown within brackets is the city which serves as the global headquarters for each motorcycles colossus.
Note that 4 of the world’s superior motorcycle brands are headquartered in Japan, while another 4 are in Europe.
The United States of America is home to the remaining pair of massive motorcycle producers.
See also
More great research: Best Global Consumer Markets for Selling Imported Cars, Top Importers of Laptop Computers Ranked by Dollar Value, Top Buyer Markets for Selling Imported Bananas, Best Global Consumer Markets for Selling Imported Cellphones
References
Independent insights and analysis presented in this article are based on researched facts and statistics sourced from the following educational portals.
BoyceWire, Consumer Goods Definition.
Forbes, The Forbes Global 2000 List.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Investopedia, Consumer Goods, Consumer Staples Definition, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).
OneHowTo, What Is The Average Life Expectancy of a Motorcycle?.
Richest Country Reports, Top 50 Richest Countries by GDP per Capita.
United States Census Bureau, Foreign Trade State Data.
World’s Top Exports, Motorcycle Exports by Country.
Yahoo Finance, 10 Best Motorcycle Companies in the World.