Harley-Davidson to expand to more cities, add bikes

Harley-Davidson, iconic bike maker, plans to expand to more Indian cities from the next year and add more bikes to its current offering of 12 products.

“We are in the Indian market with a long-term vision and are here to stay. By September end we will be launching our fifth dealership in Bangalore and then wait for the response. From January 2011, we will target other cities,” Anup Prakash, managing director, Harley-Davidson India, said at the launch of the first dealer network of Harley-Davidson in Mumbai in Bandra.

At present, the company has presence in Chandigarh, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Prakash said the company has so far introduced 12 different models from the company’s stable and after January, depending on the response, will bring in more models.

On starting an assembly line in India, he said, “We have kept our eyes and options open and a lot will depend on what we do and how we do,” he said and added that the Milwaukee, US-based company has its only assembly in Brazil out of the 70 locations where it sells. “The reason for assembling motorcycles in Brazil was to escape the impact of high customs that the country charged to import two-wheelers,” he said.

The company is present in Asian countries including China but its best market in the continent is Japan, which is a leader in heavy-duty leisure riding motorcycles.

The company is anticipating some competition in India from the Japanese bike makers. “We welcome any competition as they help in developing and maturing the market,” he said, adding that the company would not get into any price war.

Sanjay Tripathi, director — marketing, said the company will adopt a 360-degree approach to popularise the culture in India. “We are selling branded accessories like riding gear, fashion gear, wallets and boots, and will host several innovative programmes to enhance the fan following,” he said.