Hyperdrive

While Carmakers Suffer, Motorcycles Are on a Roll in Europe

  • Auto sales are falling but deliveries of two-wheelers are up
  • ‘Younger people aren’t so interested in owning a car’
Photographer: Balint Porneczi/Bloomberg
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Even as European auto sales decline, increasing congestion and renewed interest in two-wheel transportation have helped boost deliveries of motorcycles.

New car registrations in the European Union fell 3.1% in the first half of 2019, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, while motorbike sales jumped 9.1% in the period, the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers reports.