This past week I spoke with Matt Bergwall, Cirrus Product Marketing Manager, to find out
what is Cirrus Aircraft’s market share. We reviewed airplane shipments recorded in the General Aviation Manufacturer’s Association Report (GAMA) and he described the target customer that purchases a Cirrus Aircraft.
GAMA represents more than 80 of the world’s leading general aviation manufacturers. Their reports are an accepted standard for measuring aircraft manufacturer market share. GAMA is headquartered in Washington, DC, with an additional office in Brussels and Belgium.
The economic recovery was still soft in 2012. Certified piston airplane shipments decreased to 881 from 898 in 2011 which represented an overall 2% decline. Last year, there were 790 single-engine and 91 multi-engine certified piston shipments (excluding Light Sport Aircraft, LSA).
In 2012, Cirrus Aircraft shipped 253 planes compared to 255 planes in 2011. Cirrus introduced 60/40 flex seating offering 5 person capacity in both the SR20 and SR22 models. Cirrus performance was highlighted by a steady quarterly rise in airplane deliveries across the year. For certified single-engine piston airplanes with 4-5 seats Cirrus Aircraft was the leader with a 32% market share. But does the GAMA overall 32% market share of piston single-engine airplanes accurately represent the target market for Cirrus Aircraft?
Matt and I discussed shipments by manufacturer. GAMA includes piston single-engine shipments for tail draggers from American Champion, Cub Crafters, Extra Aircraft, Maule Air and Waco Classic. And, large 6 seat piston single-engine aircraft like Piper Malibu and Cessna 206H Stationair. Are conventional tail wheel planes competing in the target market for Cirrus Aircraft? Are pilots shopping for 6 seat aircraft target customers for Cirrus?
Within the target market segment Is Cirrus Aircraft’s market share actually greater than 32%? Who’s in the target market segment for Cirrus Aircraft? Matt and I discussed these questions and I’ll share the answers over the next several posts.
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