Motorcycle sales expected to grow

Motorcycle sales expected to grow

TOKYO: Japanese motorcycle manufacturers are gearing up to
expand sales in Asia outside Japan, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun
reported in its Tuesday morning edition.

In the Asian region -- chiefly Indonesia, India and China --
motorcycle demand is rising in tandem with economic growth.

Honda Motor Co. expects to sell roughly 11.31 million
motorbikes in Asia outside Japan in the year through March 2006,
a 23.1 percent increase from fiscal 2004. This figure includes
motorcycles produced entirely with locally procured parts by the
company's Chinese and Indian equity method subsidiaries.

Yamaha Motor Co. anticipates Asian sales in the 2005 calendar
year of 2.6 million units, which would represent a 20.6 percent
jump on the year. Suzuki Motor Corp. expects its fiscal 2005
Asian sales to rise 30.3 percent to 2.95 million units, and
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. in fiscal 2005 plans to sell
264,000 units in the region, up 26.3 percent on the year.

On the other hand, of the four manufacturers, three project
declines in the Japanese market. Only Suzuki anticipates higher
domestic sales, forecasting a 5.3 percent increase to 138,000
units. -- Dow Jones