Harley-Davidson Sprint will be the first entry-level premium motorcycle to be launched in the Indian market by the end of this year
Harley-Davidson and Hero MotoCorp are preparing to further strengthen their partnership. Under this, both the companies will launch new motorcycles, manufacture them in India and also sell them abroad. American company Harley Davidson will use Hero MotoCorp’s production capacity and dealer network to develop new entry-level motorcycles and cruiser bikes for the Indian and international markets.
Harley-Davidson Sprint is expected to be launched first under this new scheme, which may hit the market within the current financial year. After this many other premium motorcycles can also be introduced. However, both the companies have not yet shared much information about these upcoming models. Some of these bikes, after being made in India, can also be sold abroad.
Neemrana plant of Rajasthan is going to get an important role in this expansion plan. This Hero MotoCorp factory can produce large-capacity motorcycles from Harley-Davidson as well as future models to be jointly developed by the two companies. Manufacturing in India will help Harley-Davidson remain competitive at prices across multiple markets and reach more customers.
The current partnership between the two companies has already produced models like the Harley-Davidson X440, X440T and Hero Mavrick 440. The X440 was the first motorcycle jointly developed by the two companies, while the Mavrick 440 is a Hero brand bike based on the same platform and engine.
The impact of this partnership has also been seen on sales. In the last financial year, Hero MotoCorp sold 14,375 motorcycles in the 350cc to 500cc segment and captured about 11 percent market share. In this segment, Hero stood third after Royal Enfield and Bajaj Auto.
harley davidson x440
To strengthen the premium motorcycle business, Hero MotoCorp is also expanding its premium showroom network. At present the company has more than 130 premium outlets and this number will be increased further in the coming times. Along with Harley-Davidson bikes, premium models of Hero will also be sold in these showrooms.
This expanded partnership comes at a time when Harley Davidson has faced declining sales globally over the past few years. The company’s global retail sales are expected to decline by nearly 40 percent between 2019 and 2025. In such a situation, Harley-Davidson is trying to increase its sales by focusing on motorcycles that are affordable and accessible to more customers.