According to data released by IMOS organizers, the biennial event, which ran from Nov. 2 to 6, attracted 90,186 visitors, a slight increase of 0.48 percent compared to the 89.751 visitors that attended the event in 2014. This year, only 751 motorcycle units were sold during the event, with a transaction value of Rp 19.39 billion (US$1.48 million), down by almost half compared to the Rp 35.7 billion booked in 2014 from the sales of some 1,500 motorcycle units.

Responding to the decline, Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI) chairman Gunadi Sindhuwinata said the market was not in the best condition this year. He, however, said industry players were optimistic motorcycle sales would bounce back with the improvement of the economy.

"In the next 10 to 20 years, the [motorcycle] sales can still see growth because the public still needs affordable transportation [options]," he said on Monday.

He added that the performance indicator of the show was not measured only by the number of transactions but also the ability of the show to inform the public of the latest technology.

In general, the motorcycle market is getting smaller. AISI data show that during January to September, sales dropped by 9.74 percent year-on-year (yoy) to 4,351,397 units. This year, the association set a sales target of 6.5 million motorcycles, a minor increase from the 6.4 million sold last year.

Agus Nurudin, the managing director of the Indonesian unit of global marketing research firm Nielsen, said based on the company's latest consumer confidence poll, Indonesian customers had become more rational and had slashed their spending on tertiary goods, including gadgets and vehicles, amid the weak economy. (hwa)

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