Iconic American bike manufacturer Harley-Davidson has been pretty aggressive towards the Indian two-wheeler market in recent times. Sources suggest that the legendary brand is trying to create a base for itself and carve a niche in order to make full use of the revenue generation potential in the future. India is considered to be among the largest two-wheeler markets in the world and the demand for high-performance bikes is rising steadily. A great example of companies focusing on India is British firm Triumph, which recently launched an entire line-up in the country. Now, according to reports, Harley-Davidson is contemplating the idea of launching a low-spec version of a couple of touring models that have earned tremendous acclaim throughout the globe. As per a report by Bloomberg, the production of new Street is likely to commence in India in 2014 and will be looking to develop a vehicle suited to needs of local riders.
Anoop Prakash, Managing Director of Harley-Davidson India, spoke about how customers in India would want a bike that is more suited to their needs. According to Prakash, Harley-Davidson has pretty lofty plans in coming years as it hopes to sell around 10000 units of the new model globally. “A lot of those customers in Asia and Latin America wanted to be with Harley, but they wanted something that was more suited for the urban environment. India has the combination of a young aspirational population, growing middle class and great leisure motorcycling history,” he said in an interview. Some experts feel that although this firm is much-acclaimed across the globe, it does not have the expected level of market share in countries other than United States of America. Indeed, the Milwaukee-based company would be looking to change this scenario by targeting emerging regions, which includes India.
India has been an excellent operation centre for Harley-Davidson as the firm has managed to sell over 4000 units in the country since first outlet was opened in 2010, sources have claimed. At present, the count of Harley-Davidson dealerships in the country is 12, which it hopes to increase by around 3 in the future. Not only India, the American company is looking to expand its base throughout the globe. Experts feel this is the right step by the iconic brand as it has the ability to attract customers in India. Bikes from Harley-Davidson are stylish, technologically advanced and powerful. However, it is imperative for the auto maker to be circumspect and design vehicles as per the suitability of customers in particular markets.
For example, buyers in India are highly price sensitive, thereby meaning that affordability is a key factor while attracting them. Deepesh Rathore, Director at Emerging Markets Automotive Advisors spoke about how Harley-Davidson can increase its profitability across the globe. “The only way for Harley to expand is to come lower down the market to attract more customers. The Street will bring the volumes for Harley, so this is the most important model for Harley and it should single-handedly change the market for Harley,” he said.
