News

EICMA, the ‘Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori’, will host the 73rd edition of its Worldwide Motorcycle Exhibition in Milan between 17 and 22 November 2015.

The 2015 edition will include a space dedicated to EICMA’s latest safety campaign ‘Watch out for two wheelers’. 

This initiaitve is placed under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the government of the city of Milan and counts with the support of the Italian Foundation for two-wheelers.

The EICMA exhibition, which has been running for 100 years now, is one the motorcycle industry’s most important events. Every year manufacturers showcase their latest and upcoming models of motorcycles, mopeds, tricycles and quadricycles.

The 2014 edition of EICMA attracted about 628,600 visitors and about 6,940 media professionals.

To learn more about this event please visit http://www.eicma.it/

As part of their Refresh project, ANCMA-Confindustria, the Italian Association of Manufacturers of Bicycles, Motorcycles and Accessories, and the Italian Motorcycle Federation (FMI) will organise free training sessions in Italy as of January 2016. 

The project, whose first training sessions were already organised on 8 and 9 October 2015, is specifically designed for riders who are returning to motorcycling after an extended period of time. Evidence suggests that riders that stopped riding for a prolonged period can develop a false sense of security and, as a result, are more likely to be involved in accidents.

The Refresh initiative also aims at improving the riding skills of people who ride motorcycles of up to 125cc using their B license.

This safety-oriented trainign scheme will help both types of riders to to gain a better understanding of the specificities of motorcycle riding and to improve their risk awareness skills.

A theoretical and practical approach to motorcycle training

The first training sessions of Refresh were organised on 8 and 9 October and were delivered by qualified instructors from the Italian Motorcycle Federation at the Monza motorsport circuit.

The training covered both practical and theoretical aspects of motorcycle riding. The former included elements such as risk perception, vehicle passive safety features and vehicle maintenance. The latter allowed participants to practice different exercises such as avoidance of sudden obstacles, emergency braking techniques, braking with and without ABS, etc.

This allowed participants to increase their riding and risk awareness skills, within a secure and controlled training environment.

A scheme supported by public and the private actors

This important initiative is by ANCMA-Confindustria and by the Italian Motorcycle Federation (FMI) in order to improve the safety of moped and motorcycle users, which are considered by the EU as vulnerable road users.

The project, which is part of the implementation of ACEM’s road safety strategy, also benefits from the support of the Italian Ministry of Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.

Documents available to download

PRESS RELEASE - Refresh project - launch.pdf [0.21 MB]

PRESS RELEASE - Refresh project - first two trainings.pdf [0.21 MB] 

ANCMA-Confindustria, the Italian Association of Manufacturers of Bicycles, Motorcycles and Accessories, presented a new road safety campaign “Watch for two-wheelers” (“Occhio alle due ruote”) on 6 October 215.

This initiative aims to raise awareness of the importance of sharing the road with two-wheeled vehicles (bicycles, scooters and motorcycles), as well as to inform public debate on road safety in Italy.

To encourage car users to watch for two-wheelers, special stickers will be distributed to providers of car-sharing services and taxi drivers. The stickers will serve as a reminder of looking for bicycles, motorcycles and scooters on the road before opening car doors.

This initiative, which is part of ACEM’s road safety strategy, will involve car sharing companies in the municipality of Milan and the Metropolitan City (car2go, Enjoy, E-Go Lead me, Twist and Share'nGo) as well as the company MyTaxi.

The campaign is placed under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the government of the city of Milan and counts with the support of the Italian Foundation for two-wheelers.

“Watch for motorcycles”… in social networks and EICMA

The campaign "Watch for two-wheelers" includes the creation of the website www.occhioalle2ruote.it where it is possible to find information on safety rules, road safety tips and other materials. You can learn more about this campaign on the Facebook page Occhioalle2ruote and on Twitter via the hashtag #occhioalle2ruote.

Road safety will also be one of the key themes of the EICMA motorcycle show which will run from 17 until 22 November 2015 in Milan, Italy.

Documents available to download

Official press release (Italian).pdf [0.11 MB]

BMW Motorrad, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. and Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. are now collaborating to enhance Cooperative-Intelligent Transportation Systems (C-ITS) applications in powered two-wheelers (PTWs) and working together to establish a consortium named Connected Motorcycle Consortium.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed by all ACEM manufacturing members in 2014, C-ITS features will be introduced from 2020 onwards. In order to accelerate this process, the three manufacturers will begin their cooperation in the field of C-ITS now.

Promoting ITS deployment through better cooperation

The new cooperation was announced on October 6th 2015 at the ITS World Congress in Bordeaux (France), the world’s largest event for intelligent transport systems and services. The three partners also encouraged other motorcycle manufacturers to join the consortium so as to further increase safety in powered two-wheelers. “In order to speed up more motorcycle-specific safety developments, we intend to cooperate to promote a successful implementation of C-ITS in motorcycles and scooters,” says Mr Tetsuo Suzuki, Operating Officer at Honda Motor Co., Ltd..

Mr Takaaki Kimura, Chief General Manager of Technology Center and Executive Vice President and Representative Director of Yamaha Motor Co.Ltd. adds: “Our companies are already active members of the Car2Car Communication Consortium, in which we work with car and truck makers and other stakeholders on common specifications and standards. We came to realize that the specific requirements of motorcycles are beyond the scope of this consortium, however. The next logical step is to enter into a cooperation dedicated solely to the challenges relating to powered two-wheelers.”

“Our aim is to promote a timely and comprehensive use of cooperative ITS systems in powered-two wheelers offering the potential to improve safety. We therefore encourage other companies to join us,” explains Prof. Dr. Karl Viktor Schaller, Executive Vice President Development BMW Motorrad.

Antonio Perlot, ACEM Secretary General, stated: “This initiative is fully in line with the ACEM road safety strategy and shows the willingness of the motorcycle industry to increase safety for riders based on very concrete and practical developments.”

Increasing safety levels for motorcyclists 

ITS technologies will contribute to motorcycle safety If well considered and properly deployed, ITS technologies offer the potential to further increase safety, security and efficiency in all transport systems, in particular for motorcycles. Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) require the integration of information and communications technology including transport infrastructure, vehicles and users.

Basic applications currently exist in GPS navigation systems, where real-time traffic information is provided such as rerouting advice based on traffic jams ahead. For road transport in particular, interoperable networked wireless communication between vehicles can enable road users to make coordinated and informed decisions about their route as well as allowing safer manoeuvring in busy urban environments.

ITS technologies are expected to generate particular safety benefits in regard to powered two-wheelers (PTWs), not least by offering a level of electronic communication which can be shared between riders and drivers of other road vehicles. The three companies have already gained experience of connected vehicle technology in several European field tests.

Together with car makers and major suppliers, BMW Motorrad participated in the simTD project, a large scale field test carried out on connected vehicles in the greater Frankfurt area in Germany. Honda and Yamaha participated in DRIVE C2X, a Europe-wide ITS field test project. In view of the challenges experienced in these real world tests, the three manufacturers are now joining forces to evaluate the principles of cooperative intelligent transportation systems (C-ITS) to enhance motorcycle safety.

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The European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers, ACEM, hosted on 24 September its 11th annual conference in Brussels. The event attracted more than 130 attendees representing businesses, EU policy-makers, national administrations and stakeholders.

Keynote addresses were given by Stephan Schaller, ACEM President and BMW Motorrad President, and by Nikolaus von Peter, member of the Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc.

The discussions addressed a wide range of topics including the mainstreaming of motorcycling into relevant EU policies, as well as its inclusion in national, regional and local transport plans.

The importance of balanced and well-designed European legislation for the sector was also underlined.

Panellists included Antonio Perlot, ACEM Secretary General; Jacob Bangsgaard, Director of FIA Region I; Karen Vancluysen, POLIS Executive Director; Barbara Bonvissuto (European Commission DG GROW), Cristina Marolda (European Commission DG MOVE) and Wim van de Camp (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur on the type-approval regulation for mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles and the White Paper on Transport Policy).

As part of the conference, a forward-looking session on electromobility brought together policymakers, industry and researchers.

This workshop included presentations on projects funded under the Horizon 2020 research programme and the European Green Vehicles Initiative Public Private Partnership. Panellists of this session included the coordinators of the following projects on L-category vehicles: RESOLVE (Mario Santucci - Piaggio), WEEVIL (Jon Madariaga - IK4-Tekniker), EU-LIVE (Werner Rom - Virtual Vehicle Research Centre) and ESPRIT (Valéry Cervantes - CEA).

ACEM manufacturers displayed some of their vehicles at the event. The selection included, products designed for a wide range of purposes (e.g. individual mobility, leisure, small logistics) and with different powertrains (i.e. internal combustion-, electrically and hydrogen- propelled vehicles).

Quotes from ACEM President and ACEM Secretary General

Commenting on the recent market situation of the sector ACEM President Stephan Schaller said “between 2013 and 2014 registrations of powered-two and three-wheelers increased by 2%. The first months of 2015 show the same trend. We might start seeing light at the end of the tunnel, but a supportity regulatory framework that fosters investment, jobs and growth is necessary”.

Commenting on the relaunch of the Cars 2020 process he said “ACEM has been part of the previous process and wish to continue taking part in this important forum”.

ACEM Secretary General Antonio Perlot said “Today’s discussions shows that European funded research can play a positive role in supporting industry’s innovation efforts. We look forward to continue cooperating with our partners in the EU institutions in this area”.

Photos (more are available on our Flickr page...) 

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Documents available to download 

Keynote speeches

ACEM President. BMW President Stephan Schaller: keynote speech (mp3), presentation (ppt).

Nikolaus von Peter. Member of the Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Mobility and Transport, Violeta Bulc: keynote speech (mp3).

1st session. The place of L-category vehicles in the EU. Panel discussion (mp3)

2nd session. Unlocking the innovation potential for L-category vehicles: electromobility.

Antonio Perlot: Unlocking the innovation potential for L-category vehicles (ppt), presentation (mp3)

Patrick. Mercier-Handisyde: Horizon 2020 and EGVI (ppt), presentation (mp3)

Mario Santucci - Piaggio: RESOLVE project (pdf), presentation (mp3)

ESPRIT (Valéry Cervantes - CEA): ESPRIT project (pptx), presentation (mp3)

Jon Madariaga - IK4-Tekniker: WEEVIL project (pptx), presentation (mp3)

Werner ROM - Virtual Vehicle Research Centre: EU-LIVE project (pptx), presentation (mp3)

Panel discussion (mp3) 

A total of 666,119 powered-two and three-wheelers were registered during the first six months of 2015 in the EU.

This represents an increase of 3.4% compared to the 644,527 vehicles registered during the same period of 2014.

Registrations performed positively in Spain (72,097 units, +19.9%) and the UK (61,325 units, +13%), Italy (113,246 units, 2.3%) and Germany (114,770 units, +1.8%) They decreased in France (127,425 units, -2.9%).

Motorcycle registrations

Cumulative motorcycle registrations grew by 8.3% during the first six months of 2015 on a year-on year basis. A total of 505,229 motorcycles were registered between January and June 2015, against 466,496 during the same period of 2014.

Year-on-year motorcycle registrations increased in all key European markets, namely Spain (64,616 units, +20.9%), the UK (56,950 units, +15.3%), Italy (100,672 units, +5.1%) and Germany (96,709 units, +5%), and France (87,672 units, +0.3%).

Moped registrations

A total of 160,890 mopeds were registered during the first six months of 2015 in the EU, whilst 178,031 mopeds had been registered during the same period of 2014.

This represents a decrease of 9.6%. Registrations increased in Spain (7,481, + 12.2%), although they decreased in France (39,753 units, -9.2 %), the UK (4,375 units, -10.1%), Germany (18,061 units, -12.3%) and Italy (12,574 units, -15.5%).

Documents available to download

ACEM - Statistical press release - June 2015.pdf [0.27 MB]

ACEM - Statistical data - June 2015.xls [0.25 MB] 

The theme of ACEM's 2015 annual conference will be LET'S INNOVATE! Motorcycles, mopeds, tricycles and quadricycles, the smart choice. 

On 5 May ACEM co-organised together with PZPM, the Polish motorcycle industry association, a workshop to discuss how to improve road safety levels for motorcycle users in Poland.

This event is part of the activities developed by ACEM within its Road Safety Strategy.

Participants included Polish public authorities from the National National Road Safety Council and the National Traffic Police, NGOs working on transport safety (i.e. the Partnership for Road Safety and the National Transport Research Institute) and representatives from the One Track Foundation, the organisation that represents Polish motorcyclists.

The state of motorcycle safety in the EU

ACEM road safety coordinator, Dr. Veneta Vassileva, delivered a comprehensive presentation on ACEM’s road safety strategy. She elaborated on the latest European data on road safety, which shows a positive evolution for riders, existing good practices to reduce rider accidents and ACEM’s plan to develop intelligent transport systems.

She concluded by stressing that there is a pressing need for motorcycles to be included in transport, mobility and safety plans at both national and local level. 

Possible cooperation between key stakeholders

The meeting participants exchanged views on the possible creation of a motorcycle safety platform that would allow key stakeholders to discuss motorcycle safety in Poland on a regular basis.

Other issues discussed included the integration of motorcycle safety measures in the National Road safety plan of action, awareness-raising communication initiatives for promotion of protective equipment and training, as well as the benefits of allowing motorcycles to access bus lanes in cities.

Participants agreed to continue liaising about these ideas in order to prepare for their implementation in Poland in the near future.

Next steps

As part of its Road Safety Strategy, ACEM together with national motorcycle associations will organise road safety workshops in Italy, France, Spain and Greece throughout 2015.

Documents available to download

ACEM road safety strategy - full version.pdf [3.81 MB] 

Following the adoption of Directive 2014/94/EU on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, the European Commission announced the creation of the Sustainable Transport Forum (STF). 

The STF will bring together Member States and alternative fuels industry stakeholders.

It will enable a structured dialogue and exchange of best practices. The group will provide advice and technical expertise to the Commission on the development and implementation of legislation, policies, projects and programmes in the field of alternative transport fuels.

It will also deliver opinions and submit reports to the Commission on any matter of relevance to the promotion of alternative transport fuels in Europe.

Business representatives, associations and other bodies are invited to apply to this group. The call for applications can be found here. Applications to join the STF must be sent by 18 May 2015.

For more information on the STF please click here.

A total of 116,390 powered-two and three-wheelers were registered during the first two months of 2015 in the EU.

Registrations performed positively in Spain (15,800 units, +13.1%), the UK (9,015 units, +11.5%), and Italy (22,120 units, +0.9%). Registrations decreased in France (27,570 units, -7.1%) and Germany (11,490 units, -16.2%).

Total registrations between January and February in the EU decreased of 2.9% compared to the 119,970 units registered during the same period of 2014.  

Motorcycle registrations

Cumulative motorcycle registrations grew by 0.6% during the first two months of 2015 on a year-on-year basis. A total of 83,760 motorcycles were registered in January and February 2015, against 83,300 during the same period of 2014.

Year-on-year motorcycle registrations increased in key European markets including the UK (8,000 units, +16.1%), Spain (13,760 units, +12.9%), Italy (19,200 units, +4.4%).

Registrations decreased in France (17,760 units, -5.1%) and Germany (11,450 units, -13.0%).

Moped registrations

A total of 32,620 mopeds were registered during the first two months of 2015 in the EU, whilst 36,670 mopeds had been registered during the same period of 2014.

This represents a decrease of 11.04%. Registrations increased in Spain (2,050 units, +14.2), although they decreased in France (9,815 units, -10.5%), UK (1,015 units, -14.9%), Italy (2,910 units, -17.5%), and Germany (3,040 units, -26.2%).

Documents available to download

ACEM - Statistical press release - February 2015.pdf [0.27 MB]