MOTORCYCLE SALES rose 8.1% year on year in the third quarter, recovering from a second-quarter dip, according to the Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association (MDPPA).
In a statement on Thursday, the MDPPA said its members sold 524,860 motorcycle units in the third quarter, with September representing the sales peak in the year to date.
“September was the strongest month recorded from January to September 2026, with successive gains in August and September helping lift the industry back into positive territory after the slow second quarter,” MDPPA said.
In the three months to June, sales had declined 4.2% year on year.
Automatic motorcycles accounted for 73.6% of all motorcycles sold in the third quarter.
MDPPA President Erwin D. Estrada said the association is optimistic that motorcycle sales will pick up in the fourth quarter.
“With cumulative sales maintaining year-on-year growth and with the third quarter showing a clear recovery from the previous quarter, the latest figures point to sustained demand for motorcycles as the industry enters the final stretch of 2026,” he said.
In the first nine months, motorcycle sales were up 5.1% from a year earlier, having breached the one-million mark to settle at 1.46 million units.
The group has said that high fuel costs rising from the fighting in the Middle East have been driving demand for cheaper modes of transport. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz