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