ASEAN’s Motorcycle Production Results in 2023

Motorcycle production in ASEAN countries (this reports covers five nations, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, and Malaysia) was 13,434,842 units, an increase of 3.0% from the previous year. Vietnam’s sales decreased by 647,000 units, and Malaysia’s sales fell by 136,000 units compared to 2023. On the other hand, Indonesia, the largest motorcycle producer in ASEAN, increased by 842,000 units, the Philippines by 232,000 units, and Thailand by 105,000 units, resulting in a total rise of 395,000 units in the five ASEAN countries.

Indonesia’s production result for 2023 has not been made public, but it is estimated to be 6,806,996 units based on the combined total of domestic sales (6,236,992 units) and exports (570,004 units). The decrease in exports is due to the production of the Honda CLICK 125 destined for the Philippines being transferred to the Philippines by December 2022. Since the sales volume of the Honda CLICK 125 in the Philippines in 2022 was approximately 280,000 units, the production transfer had a significant impact on Indonesia’s scooter export scale.

Vietnam’s motorcycle production volume in 2023 was 2,722,209 units, down 19.2% from the previous year. In addition to sluggish domestic sales, which decreased by some 487,000 units to 2,516,212 units, exports also appear to have dropped due to Piaggio transferring part of its production to a new factory in Indonesia in November 2022. Total motorcycle exports from Vietnam are unknown, but Honda’s export scale in 2022 was 207,000 units.

In 2023, domestic motorcycle sales in Thailand increased by 3.6% from the previous year to 1,856,814 units, and exports rose by 11.0% to 470,474 units, resulting in production increasing by some 105,000 units to 2,120,738 units. Thailand’s largest manufacturer, Honda, produced 1,689,946 units in 2023, an increase of 6.1% from the previous year, accounting for 80% of the country’s motorcycle production. In 2023, the company’s exports increased by 19.8% to 293,581 units, accounting for 62.4% of Thailand’s motorcycle exports. The country is a global supply base for 250cc class sports models and large motorcycles of 400cc and above manufactured by major Japanese and European brands such as Honda, Kawasaki, BMW, and Ducati.

The Philippines imports motorcycles from countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, but in recent years, companies such as Yamaha and Honda have been increasing local production due to growing demand. Domestic motorcycle sales in 2023 were 1,556,358 units, almost the same as the previous year. However, as Honda switched to local production of the CLICK 125, which had been imported from Indonesia, motorcycle production increased 23.1% from the previous year to 1,235,418 units, a record high.

In Malaysia, domestic motorcycle sales decreased by 20.4% from the previous year to 541,703 units, and production also fell by 19.9% to 549,481 units.