Motorbike sales were back on the rise in July, after declining for much of the year, due to the return of good weather and cash incentives for eco-friendly bikes and scooters, sector sources said on Monday.
July sales were up 4% over the same month last year, with a 6.1% jump for bikes with motors of over 50cc, which included a 9.1% leap in scooter sales.
Sales of 50cc mopeds and scooters were stable, off 0.1% from July 2007.
''The market for two-wheeled vehicles benefited from the return of good weather and soaring fuel prices. The 300-euro incentives for the purchase of eco-friendly bikes with engines up to 400cc gave an extra boost to vehicles more suited for the city, like scooters,'' observed Guidalberto Guidi, head of the national motorbike and accessories association Ancma.
''The current economic crunch could prove to be a boon for bikes which cost less to operate on the condition that they are not penalised by excessive insurance rates,'' he added.
Motobike sales for the first seven months of the year were down 5.3% over the same period last year, an improvement over the 8.2% drop recorded for the first quarter of 2008.
