Harley-Davidson Has Bold New (and Electric!) Plans for the Future
The future of Harley-Davidson includes smaller, electrified bikes and a brand new middleweight lineup with lots of firsts.
With critics panning them from seemingly every direction, the time seemed right for Harley-Davidson to punch back. And now, they’ve done exactly that by surprising us with an aggressive, accelerated strategy designed to get more people riding their products. The plan, dubbed “More Roads to Harley-Davidson,” focuses around three main points. New products, broader access, and stronger dealers are the keys to this bold new vision.
The most interesting part of this threefold plan, of course, are Harley’s exciting and somewhat surprising new products. The first of which is a new modular 500cc to 1250cc middleweight platform of motorcycles spanning three distinct product spaces and four displacements. The first of which is the Pan America, H-D’s very first Adventure Touring bike. It’s joined by a 1250cc Custom and 975cc Streetfighter model, all of which are planned to launch beginning in 2020.
Harley-Davidson Pan America
Harley-Davidson also announced that its very first electric motorcycle, the LiveWire, will officially launch in 2019. But it’s only the first in a full lineup of electric two-wheelers. Additional lighter and smaller options are slated to follow by 2022. Harley’s entry into the electric motorcycle market is an aggressive one. Their plan, in fact, states that they aim to be “the leader in the electrification of the sport.”
Harley-Davidson LiveWire
Lastly, Harley is partnering with a manufacturer in Asia to develop a more accessible, small-displacement (250cc to 500cc) motorcycle for Asia emerging markets. India, in particular, is one of Harley’s fastest growing markets at the moment. And various other Asia markets are equally hot. Taking advantage of this interest with a smaller, more affordable market will help fuel that growth for years to come.
Harley-Davidson Asia Concept
In addition to these exciting new products, Harley-Davidson aims to expand access to its products in a number of ways. Much of which include growing their digital and e-commerce capabilities and opening new urban storefronts across the globe. In addition, dealers will be receiving a new performance framework designed to drive customer experience higher.
Harley-Davidson Streetfighter 975
Bold moves, indeed. But as Matt Levatich, Harley’s president and chief executive officer explains, not totally out of character for the iconic motorcycle manufacturer.
Harley-Davidson Custom 1250
“Harley-Davidson is iconic because we’ve never been static,” Levatich noted. “In moving forward, we are tapping into the spirit that drove our founders back in 1903 and every one of the employees and dealers who rose to the challenges faced along the way. Our plan will redefine existing boundaries of our brand – reaching more customers in a way that reinforces all we stand for as a brand and as a company and we can’t wait to kick it into gear.”
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