The motorcycle industry wants to be able to sell Euro 4 bikes after 31 December 2020. ACEM, the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers, has asked the European Commission to extend the time to sell Euro 4-compliant motorcycles because of the COVID-19 situation. FEMA supports this request.

On 1 January 2020, a new environmental step (Euro 5) has been introduced for new vehicle types while Euro 4 vehicles can still be sold/registered until the end of the year (31 December 2020).

The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has an enormous impact on the motorcycle industry, the importers and the retailers. In fact, it has an impact on the whole motorcycle sector. Several European countries have had a lockdown, which means that both production and sales of motorcycles have dropped or in some countries even stopped for a while. Factories and dealerships were closed for a long time and still suffer from logistical problems. This means that it is to be expected that the sector will not be able to sell motorcycles that are already in stock.

Although there is a provision in the type approval regulation 168/2013 to eliminate surplus stock, ACEM fears that in the present circumstances this will not be enough. To save the sector ACEM proposes a financing-free solution, which is to extend the end date of Euro 4. FEMA supports this request, because a healthy sector is not only in the interests of the motorcyclists too, but also because we need a healthy sector to work on the innovations that are needed to allow motorcycling the role it deserves in the post-Corona period.

Dolf Willigers, General secretary of FEMA, says: “Of course we support ACEM in their request. The motorcycle sector has already been hit hard by the measures that were needed because of the COVID-19 virus and will face more challenges in the future as a result for the call for clean transport, which will also affect motorcycling. A healthy sector is in our interest too, but most important is the need for solidarity between the sector and riders in these difficult times.”

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Top photograph courtesy of Yamaha.