Harley Davidson May Exit India

Harley Davidson Saying Goodbye To The Indian Market?

India is one of the largest marketplaces for two-wheeler motorbikes. Harley Davidson, despite being a big brand, couldn’t make it big in India. The major reason being its price.

Harley Davidson India witnessed a sale of 25,000 units in the last 10 years, which is even less than the quarterly sales of the USA market. The majority of Harley Davidson’s sales comes from the USA & Europe, where nearly 75% of the sales are covered by the USA alone. This is why the foreign leisure bikes manufacturer wants to focus more on its home market.

Biggest Competitor In India

The biggest competitor of Harley Davidson India – Royal Enfield – has won the hearts of the Indians. This is because RE has a powerful engine, robust body, leisurely feel, and whatnot! Still, RE is more affordable than a Harley Davidson. The top RE model costs even less than Rs 4 Lakhs [Continental GT 650] whereas even the starter Harley Davidson bike starts from Rs 3 Lakhs+.

Reasons Why Harley Davidson Is Failing In India

The price tag is one of the major reasons why Harley Davidson failed in India in terms of sales. The buying power of Indians is increasing but still, Harley Davidson could not lure the majority marketplace.

It’s not just about the buying price but even maintaining a Harley Davidson is costly. Where a basic servicing costs around Rs 5000, a Royal Enfield [for example] just costs half of that.

While most of the Indians own 150-200 CC bikes, Harley Davidson has not explored the mid-capacity segment. There was news that the company tied up with a Chinese company years ago and was planning to launch a 350 CC bike in India, but still, there is no news on its production. And keeping the recent events in mind, it is highly unlikely to happen.

Likely Things Harley Davidson Would Do

Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO of Harley Davidson said that the HD is planning to focus on its 50 most profitable marketplace that includes North America, with the USA & Canada, Europe & parts of Asia Pacific.

Also Read: New Bikes In India 2020

To Sum It Up

Harley Davison is surely a leisure bike, but it still has a long way to go before it can succeed in a competitive marketplace such as India.

It’s bad news for all the Harley Davidson lovers in India but the good news is that other bikes manufacturers like Royal Enfield, Triumph, Ducati, Yamaha and others are here to stay.