Harley-Davidson likely to make bikes for global markets in India: Report

The American automaker launched its most affordable bike, X440, in partnership with Hero MotoCorp in India last week

Harley-Davidson is likely to use its manufacturing facilities in India to make products here and sell in other countries, its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jochen Zeitz said in an interview. The American automaker launched its most affordable bike in partnership with Hero MotoCorp in India last week.

Talking to The Economic Times (ET), Zeitz added that currently, however, its priority is to boost sales of its new bike X440.

"We were manufacturing our 750cc also for the international market (here), so I am not ruling that out," Zeitz told ET. "But right now, the focus is really to make sure that the product is successful in India. From there we can build and come up with other ideas."

Harley-Davidson had stopped making vehicles in India in 2020. However, it signed an agreement with Hero to continue selling its imported products in the country. It launched the co-developed X440 in India priced at Rs 2.3 lakh. Hero will make X440 for Harley here.

The company is looking to compete with Royal Enfield in the premium bike category.

This approach marks a departure from the past when the company was focused on doing everything, from manufacturing to selling, on its own. According to Zeitz, this strategy is "especially (important in) these markets where the customer is also thinking slightly differently, and you have the issue of import duties".

He added that Harley-Davidson would like to get big bikes into the market without having to pay huge tariffs. This would make bikes more accessible to Indians.

India currently imposes an import duty of 50-75 per cent on imported motorcycles.