Bangladesh’s two-wheeler market grew by 19 per cent in 2025 after two consecutive years of contraction, although sales remained 24 per cent below the 2022 peak when more than 6.19 lakh units were sold.
Data compiled by two-wheeler marketers show that companies shipped around 4.72 lakh units in 2025, up from 3.95 lakh units in 2024, which was the lowest level since 2018 due to import restrictions, foreign exchange shortages, and high inflationary pressure.
The rebound came after two straight years of degrowth, with the market shrinking by 34 per cent in 2023 and a further 3 per cent in 2024.
Bangladesh Honda Private Limited Chief Marketing Officer Shah Mohammad Ashequr Rahman attributed the partial recovery to macroeconomic stability in 2025, which helped ensure uninterrupted imports of raw materials and parts, higher remittance inflows, and the slow easing of inflation.
Most companies kept prices in mind, aiming for the masses’ affordability, which helped buyers gradually adjust to the higher prices post-currency devaluation, now considered the new normal.
A shift towards bigger bikes
The recovery, however, remained uneven and reflected a clear structural shift in consumer preferences toward higher-capacity motorcycles.
The 150–165cc segment remained the backbone of the market, accounting for about 47 per cent of total sales in 2025 with more than 2.23 lakh units sold, posting 7 per cent year-on-year growth due to demand for comparatively powerful but fuel-efficient bikes.
The 125cc segment recorded the strongest recovery among mass categories, growing 36 per cent year on year to 1.08 lakh units in 2025, as buyers moved up from entry-level models.
By contrast, the 80–110cc segment continued to struggle, with sales declining to 97,997 units in 2025 from more than 2.06 lakh units in 2021, reflecting the gradual decline of the traditional low-end commuter base.
Scooter sales rose by 13 per cent year on year to 12,367 units in 2025, but the category remained marginal, accounting for less than 3 per cent of total market volume.
Higher-capacity motorcycles above 165cc, which were absent before 2023, gained traction in 2025 with more than 30,000 units sold, signalling the emergence of a small but growing premium segment.
Royal Enfield dominated the higher-capacity segment with a 44 per cent market share after selling more than 13,408 units in 2025, followed by Honda with 8,861 units, Suzuki with 3,410 units, CF Moto with 2,318 units, Yamaha with 1,822 units, Bajaj with 485 units, Runner with 27 units, and Hero with seven units.
Japanese brands keep winning
2025 also reinforced a decisive shift towards Japanese manufacturers across the broader market.
The Japanese heritage brands Suzuki, Yamaha, and Honda now hold 58 per cent of the Bangladesh market, significantly up from their 21 per cent market share in 2020.
Suzuki and Yamaha emerged as joint market leaders in 2025, each selling more than 94,000 units and capturing about 20 per cent market share, compared with a combined share of just 11 per cent in 2020.
In a neck-to-neck race, Suzuki surpassed Yamaha in 2025 as it sold a few hundred more units than Yamaha.
However, Yamaha’s manufacturer and distributor, ACI Motors, reported a 22% market share for the second half of 2025, slightly higher than Suzuki’s.
Honda strengthened its position by selling nearly 83,000 units in 2025 to secure an 18 per cent share, up from 10 per cent in 2020.
Indian brand Hero, leading the 80-100 cc segment with a 48 per cent share, sold 84,470 units to claim third place, ahead of Honda.
Bajaj, once the dominant player, sold 80,783 units in 2025, bringing its market share down to 17 per cent from 38 per cent in 2020.
Sales by TVS fell sharply to 11,188 units in 2025, equivalent to just 2 per cent of the market, compared with 115,266 units and a 19 per cent share at the 2022 peak.
Market data show that the shift towards Japanese brands accelerated with the sharp rise in fuel prices in August 2022 and has continued.
ACI Motors Deputy Managing Director Subrata Ranjan Das told TIMES, “The shift reflects consumers’ preference for sportier, more reliable, fuel-efficient Japanese bikes at slightly higher prices as the price difference between Japanese, Indian, and other brands gradually narrowed, with all the major brands already having local plants,” he added.
