Don’t get spooked by the headline. The news is official and it has coming from the horse’s mouth, ie Harley-Davidson itself on Monday. The brand will be making low-capacity engine bikes, catering to markets like India.
And to make this happen, Harley will take the partnership route, one the lines of what BMW Motorrad and KTM among others have done in recent years.
The US-based motorcycle giant has further announced it will upgrade its product lineup with three different bikes; electric, adventure tourer and naked streetracer in the coming years.
These changes are part of Harley-Davidson’s approach towards its business, looking to modernise its product base, in order to appeal to youth, even in its domestic market in the US.
Coming back to Harley-Davidson’s plans for India, the company hasn’t clearly mentioned what kind of bikes will be manufactured. Considering the fact Bajaj (with Triumph and KTM) and TVS (with BMW Motorrad) have their hands full, it is likely that brands like Hero, Yamaha or even Mahindra could be considered as partners.
Planning to develop a more accessible, small-displacement (250cc to 500cc) motorcycle for Asian emerging markets through a planned strategic alliance with a manufacturer in Asia.Harley Davidson
The sub 500cc motorcycle in India is seeing rapid growth, with the likes of Royal Enfield leading the pack with its Classic series.
Harley-Davidson making this decision doesn’t come as a surprise. After all, one of its competitors, Triumph Motorcycles, announced a partnership with Bajaj in India to do the same thing, make small-capacity engine bikes for the market.
In addition to this, we’ll be seeing three new bikes, which are:
New Harley-Davidson Bikes:
- Pan America: This will be an adventure tourer based on a 1,250cc engine
- Naked street racer bike with 975cc engine
- Livewire: Harley’s first ever, no-clutch electric bike. Launching in 2019.
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