Modenas models top 3rd quarter scooter sales

By V. CHANDRASEKARAN IN GURUN

THE Karisma and Elit scooter models produced by national motorcycle maker, Motorsikal dan Engin Nasional Sdn Bhd (Modenas), have emerged as the best sellers in the scooter segment for the third quarter of the year. 

Sales of the 125cc Karisma stood at 4,488 units from July to September while 1,100 of the 150cc Elit, launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Aug 23, were sold over the same period. 

The total sales of 5,588 units gave Modenas a 40% share of the country's scooter market, Edaran Modenas Sdn Bhd (Emos) chief executive officer Nik Danial Nik Mahmood said. 

He said that except for January, more than 1,000 Karismas were sold monthly for eight consecutive months, with the highest volume achieved in July, at 1,800 units. 

Elit, he said, had also strongly penetrated the market with 1,057 units sold in September. 

Nik Danial Nik Mahmood (right) and Modenas CEO Datuk Rashid Din giving the thumbs up to the Modenas Dinamik bike at the Gurun plant.

“Last month alone, 2,202 units of both scooters were sold out of the total 3,742 scooters produced in the country, giving us a 58% share of the market in September.  

“Scooters are making a strong comeback after more than 30 years of total domination by the moped models,” he said during a press briefing on the latest developments of Modenas' production at the Gurun plant in Kedah last Wednesday. 

Danial said Nitro and Comel scooters took the market by storm, contributing 25,650 units, or over 80%, of the total sold for the first half of the year. 

However, sales of the two models experienced a sharp decline in the third quarter with Nitro registering only 1,685 units and Comel 2,530, he said. 

“We had confidence in our scooters and we believe we will be the lead player next year as well,” he said. He added that with plans for a facelift of the scooter models, Modenas was targeting to control more than 50% of the market share next year. 

On the overall performance of Modenas, Danial said 68,166 moped and scooters were sold up to end- September, with a market share of 29%. 

“We are looking at 27,000 Modenas products to be registered for the last quarter of the year, giving a total registered volume for the year of about 95,000 units,” he said. 

He said although the two-stroke moped market had been hovering between 20,000 and 24,000 units a year for the past five years, it was still a significant market. 

Danial said Modenas planned to produce between 800 and 1,000 units of its new Dinamik model per month from November. The model was expected to contribute annual revenue of between RM45mil and RM50mil next year, he added. 

He expects Dinamik, which is now available, to capture between 40% and 45% of the two-stroke moped market segment.