Abraciclo: motorcycle production falls 6.4% in October compared to September amid the drought in Amazonas

Motorcycle production fell again in October, when the drought of the Amazon River and its tributaries made it difficult to transport components by river to assemblers in the industrial hub of Manaus (AM). Compared to September, motorcycle production fell 6.4%, according to a balance released this Tuesday, 14th, by Abraciclo, the association that represents two-wheeled vehicle factories.

It is worth remembering that in September, production had already fallen by 14.5% at the margin – that is, compared to August, when the volume of motorcycles manufactured was the highest in a decade.

In total, 131,300 motorcycles were assembled in October, 4.4% less than the number recorded in the same month of 2022. Last month, the low river prevented large ships from entering the region, forcing factories to resort to alternatives that made logistics slower, such as transporting cargo by ferry, or more expensive, such as transporting components by plane.

The situation required automakers to rearrange their assembly lines – postponing the production of models for which parts were missing – to the point where it was no longer possible to continue production. In the first ten days of November, Yamaha, the second largest motorcycle manufacturer in the country, brought forward collective holidays and stopped the Manaus factory due to difficulties in both the arrival of inputs and the flow of production.

The result for the year, however, remains broadly positive, as a reflection of market growth, which has been driven by the expansion of delivery services, as well as the replacement of cars with cheaper and more economical vehicles.

According to Abraciclo’s balance sheet, 1.32 million motorcycles were produced from January to October, 10.4% more than the total for the same period in 2022 and the best result, between equal periods, in ten years.

“The industry operates within what was planned and follows its production pace to meet market demand, which continues to rise”, commented the president of Abraciclo, Marcos Bento. The entity’s forecast is to end 2023 with 1.56 million motorcycles produced, which corresponds to a growth of 10.4% compared to the 2022 result.

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