'Likening Harley Davidson to Bullet, like comparing Mercedes to Maruti'

Comparing an Enfield Bullet to a Harley Davidson was like comparing a Mercedes to a Maruti because sales volume alone cannot determine global popularity of a lifestyle brand, a top official of Harley Davidson India said Thursday.

Anoop Prakash, managing director of Harley Davidson India, was addressing a press conference in Goa, where nearly 2,000 Harley Davidson owners are expected to converge at a rally Saturday and take part in the India Bike Week being held in Vagator coastal village, 25 km north of Panaji.

Asked if the 113-year-old US motorcycle company, which has a very committed global following, would change its pricing strategy in view of being overtaken in global sales by the India-manufactured Royal Enfield, Prakash said: "Trying to make this comparison on volume basis is unfair given the pricing.

"It's like comparing Mercedes to Maruti. So you are going to have a different comparison which is profitability. We are the most profitable motorcycle company in the world, longest running, continuously operating motorcycle company in the world," he said.

He insisted that Harley Davidson was not chasing volumes, but quality and lifestyle and creating a powerful brand.

The top executive said that over the five years since the company arrived in the India market, over 8,000 motorcycles have been sold and that introduction of the Harley Davidson Street 750 will increase exposure in the Indian market.

"Street 750 has increased our reach and accessibility of the brand to a lot more people, because our entry-level price now has changed, with the Street 750 priced at Rs.4.3 lakh Delhi ex-showroom.

"Prior to that, our entry level was Rs.5.5 lakh, so we've reached a broader audience of people who are aspiring to own a Harley Davidson and now they actually can," Prakash said.

The company was looking at a high double-digit growth during the forthcoming financial year.

He said that contrary to the perception that owners of super-premium motorcycles were those born with a silver spoon in their mouths, Harley Davidson riders were in fact "self-made" individuals on the lookout for self-discovery and an effective medium of self-expression.

"They have achieved, settled their families and now they got to find something for themselves. I distinguish that from what sometimes people perceive as the Harley customer as somebody who is very wealthy or has somehow inherited a set of wealth. That is absolutely not our customer," he said.

Prakash said the brand need not make any overtures to Bollywood to popularise the motorcycle, but expressed satisfaction at the fact that the Harley Davidson made it to the silver screen as well as the social media profiles of film stars on its own might.

"Bollywood has adopted Harley Davidson on their own, without us having to push very hard. Our bikes have been featured in a number of movies already (and) a number of stars have been tweeting and posing with their bikes," he said.