Harley-Davidson To Add 50 New Models In Next Five Years

The Milwaukee-based bike manufacturer plans to add up to 200 dealerships outside the United States by 2020

Harley-Davidson will be introducing a big number of new models to their existing bike lineup with a targeted span of five years to increase sales and earnings. The company plans to increase the number of foreign dealerships and introduce more people to the Harley lifestyle. In the States, the company’s Harley-Davidson Riding Academy looks to teach people how to ride a motorcycle. More than 65,000 riders were trained by the academy in 2016.

Harley-Davidson’s net income for the fourth quarter of 2016 was $47.2 million, compared to $42.2 million during the same quarter in 2015.It added 40 dealers around the world during the past year, with the manufacturer now selling 52.5 percent of its motorcycles outside of the United States.

Matt Levatich, President and CEO, Harley-Davidson, said, “The success we saw with the launch of the Milwaukee-Eight engine is a sign of the innovation we have in place. We are confident our 2018 line will also help sales.”

“I have never been more excited about the products in our pipeline. We do not just build motorcycles, we build drivers, too. We are focusing on the next generation of riders,” headed. “We want to add more dealers overseas and grow riders here in the United States, reaching out to new markets including younger riders, women, African-Americans and Hispanics.”

Harley-Davidson sells its highest number of motorcycles in the 600cc+ category, securing around 60% of the market share in India. The company has also successfully completed 5 years of Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) rally and has over 12,000 H.O.G. members in the country. The rally includes various competitions and awards like the Custom Champion Contest, where owners can show their customization skills on the bikes. The ‘Big 5 Riders’ honour is awarded to the riders completing all the five rallies in a calendar year, which includes the zonal rallies -- Western, Northern, Eastern, Southern, and one national rally. There is also a ‘Triple Five’ honour that is awarded to the owners who have covered more than 1 lakh kilometers on their Harleys. The awards list also includes the H.O.G. ‘Chapter of the year’ which will be awarded to the most active chapter, for their collective effort and contributions in one year.