New chairman for Arge 2Rad

New chairman for Arge 2Rad

The CEO of the Austrian Piaggio general importer Faber will lead the future fortunes of the association together with the long-standing general secretary Karin Munk and his first deputy Dietmar Brandl, who is also known as the Austrian Ducati brand manager. The new board trio is focusing on persuasion to increase acceptance of two-wheelers, harmonious coexistence in the overall mobility context and further increasing safety for two-wheeler drivers.

Individual mobility

The Austrian two-wheeler market grew by 3.2 percent with 47,147 new registrations in the previous year (January to November 2024). There are currently 958,203 single-track motor vehicles on Austria's roads - this means that one in eight Austrians over the age of 15 owns a motorcycle or moped. "Two-wheel driving is an integral part of individual mobility in Austria. But there is still a lot of potential and, especially in times when household budgets are becoming tighter for many people, two-wheelers offer a cheap and affordable alternative to a car or second car," says Faber, and continues: "When you observe how many people stand alone in cars with five seats in traffic jams for hours or do their laps looking for a paid parking space, then I feel more than motivated to give these people a simple and cheap one To offer a solution and bring it even closer: switching to and getting on a two-wheeler.” With Didi Brandl, who has been responsible for the Italian motorcycle brand Ducati for over 30 years, another expert is represented in the 2Rad management team: "In turbulent years, the two-wheeler market has proven to be extremely crisis-resistant. Neither supply chain problems nor the COVID crisis could have had a profound impact. In my view, this resilience can be attributed to two main factors: undeniable advantages in terms of emissions and parking space requirements," says Brandl.

Market forecast 2025

Karin Munk, who has been successfully working as general secretary of the association for 21 years, knows the Austrian two-wheeler market like no one else. She is confident about the current season and also sees strong growth for two-wheelers from an international perspective: "It is currently becoming apparent worldwide how important single-lane traffic - whether petrol-powered or electric - is as one of the important mobility pillars in urban areas." Two-wheelers help avoid traffic jams, provide parking space and contribute to reducing emissions. "Change works best together - where politics, the population and the economy discuss together on an equal footing, there an optimal balance of interests can occur and innovative solutions can be found. For example, if you switch to a 125 scooter and do without a car, that means a reduction of around 75 percent in Co2 emissions," says Munk.