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Harley-Davidson’s new stand-alone electric motorcycle – LiveWire One

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by Rich Kirchen from https://www.bizjournals.com With Harley-Davidson Inc. chairman, president and CEO Jochen Zeitz repeating that the company’s electric LiveWire is “an extraordinary product,” details are emerging on a new model that will be called the LiveWire One. Motorcycle.com reported the name of the first LiveWire-branded electric motorcycle since Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson announced establishing LiveWire as a stand-alone entity. The website said it deciphered the information from a Harley-Davidson filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The new LiveWire One will be revealed in July and will be considered a 2021 model, motorcycle.com said. The Harley-Davidson filing shows the LiveWire One will claim a peak output of 101 brake horsepower (bhp), which is more than the 70 bhp existing LiveWire model, motorcycle.com said. A Harley-Davidson spokesman did not immediately respond Thursday to a Milwaukee Business Journal request for comment. Harley-Davidson delivered the original LiveWire to dealers in fall 2019. The company announced in May that LiveWire will get an official launch in July as a brand in its own right with its own laboratory and showrooms. Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) initially planned to debut the new LiveWire at the International Motorcycle Show in Irvine, California. However, motorcycle.com reported that the show won’t be held there and Harley is looking to arrange an alternate date and site. Zeitz, appearing on CNBC Wednesday, discussed the LiveWire strategy but not the specifics of the next phase. He said electrified motorcycles are the future for the industry. “It might take longer in certain segments such as the traditional Harley-Davidson segment, simply because the technology is not there in terms of range and longevity of a ride that our touring customer wants,” Zeitz said. The LiveWire product that Harley-Davidson launched in 2019 under the Harley-Davidson brand “was really a product that was more focused and geared […]

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How The Pandemic Has Kick-Started a Motorcycle Boom

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by Emila Smith It is hard to think about silver linings amidst a devastating pandemic. However, despite the crumbling health systems and faltering businesses, many people have found ways to keep their heads up. They are taking this as an opportunity to enjoy a COVID-triggered breath of fresh air. The pandemic has kick-started a global motorcycle boom. More people are turning to their two-wheelers to break away from the stress and fears, enjoy the outdoors, and ease movement. According to a Bloomberg report, motorcycle industry leaders are optimistic. Eric Pritchard of the Motorcycle Industry Council looked forward to the best run since 2016. Like tech-based companies, motorcycle companies look forward to explosive growth during this COVID-19 season. But what are the reasons behind this motorcycle boom? As the experts at McKinsey would say, “The pandemic reshaped what consumers buy and how they go about getting it.” Previously, motorcycle sales were low because people considered it a risky affair. Bike riders had a disproportionately high number of accidents, and people were grey concerning handling injury and claims. But it looks like the tide is turning. The pandemic has somehow caused a shift in how people perceive motorcycling. It is no longer a stressful, hair-raising activity, but one pursued its health benefits. Read on and learn how wellness-craving buyers are causing a motorcycle boom. A COVID-Triggered Breath of Life Before the pandemic, dark clouds were hanging over the motorcycle industry in the US. There were not enough new buyers to replace those who were giving up their two-wheelers. According to  Statista.com, sales peaked in 2015 when industry sales stood at about 500,000 units. But the figures plummeted in subsequent years. Motorcycle companies like Harley Davidson were on the deathbed for a long time. But then COVID-19 happened. Lockdowns, social distancing, and other

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Royal Enfield will have the highest number of new models

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by Swaraj Baggonkar from https://www.moneycontrol.com Royal Enfield will have the highest number of launches this year: CEO Vinod Dasari This year, Royal Enfield is ready to introduce more models annually than ever before as the niche bike maker looks to further strengthen its iron grip on the middleweight motorcycle segment The Eicher Motors-controlled company that specialises in building bikes with engine sizes of 350cc to 650cc, currently, has its order backlog full. This can keep its factories running for the next 2-3 months without any new bookings. Speaking to analysts, Vinod Dasari, CEO, Royal Enfield, said: “We have a very exciting (product) pipeline. This year will probably see the highest number of new models that is ever seen from Royal Enfield in a year. And that is just the beginning of the pipeline.” Over the last few months, Royal Enfield launched the Meteor 350 and the new Himalayan, besides offering new colours on the 650 twins – Continental GT and Interceptor. Dasari did not provide details on the models that can be expected from Royal Enfield. “We will continue to have one new model every quarter. Because there is a delay due to COVID right now, I don’t think we will squeeze everything in but there are some very big models coming in. We are very excited about it. We will have to do all the marketing and market preparedness for that,” Dasari added. While sales of the 650 twins in India nearly halved to 10,256 units in FY21, largely due to COVID-19 disruption, Royal Enfield believes that there is space for more 650cc products. “Yes, there is a need to think about every platform. Not just the Twins, but Himalayan, Meteor and Classic. So we should think about every platform on how we can meet other kinds of customer

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New Pan America motorcycle drawing national attention

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by Sarah Hauer from https://www.jsonline.com Harley-Davidson Inc.’s newest bike — a less expensive and lighter motorcycle — is drawing national attention as the company tries to lure new riders. Harley-Davidson’s Pan America is arriving at hundreds of dealerships now. “(The Pan America) is definitely not your dad’s Harley-Davidson cruiser,” New York Times reporter Mark Gardiner wrote. The Pan America is about $2,000 cheaper and 200 pounds lighter than Harley-Davidson’s most popular touring bikes. The base model of the Pan America is around 530 pounds and starts at $17,319. Pan America’s launch was delayed a year. The company held a virtual launch event in February. Kevin Duke, who writes about motorcycles, was impressed by his test ride of the new bike. “The news about Harley for the past couple of years has been quite pessimistic,” said Duke, the editor in chief at Thunder Press in the New York Times article. “With the older demographic aging out, there was no real hint at what the company could do to gain market share, but this really changes it. The new motor is that good.” The Milwaukee-based company has been trying to expand its customer base for years. The company experienced a steep decline in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. Motorcycle sales were up 9% worldwide for the company during its most recent fiscal quarter. That bump was driven by a 30% increase in North America motorcycle sales over the same three-month time period last year. Harley-Davidson launched its all-electric motorcycle brand LiveWire in May. The first motorcycle branded as a LiveWire bike is scheduled to premiere at the International Motorcycle Show on July 9.

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Ducati Multistrada V4: Zero to 5,000 in just six months

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com Germany Becomes Home of the 5,000th Ducati Multistrada V4 Zero to 5,000 in just six months. It is the achievement of Italian bike maker Ducati’s Multistrada V4, which in just half a year managed to convince 5,000 riders it is the right choice for them. Ducati announced the milestone this week, with the 5,000th two-wheeler ever made in the family ordered by a German rider from Ingolstadt. The bike is a fully-loaded V4 S Sport and was accompanied in the rider’s garage by a “sculptural reproduction” of the bike and a “personal letter certifying the motorcycle’s serial number.” The V4 was presented by the Italians in November last year, and it is currently available in three versions, the V4, V4S, and V4 S Sport, all described as the most advanced of their kind ever. The most potent of them all can easily go in the high $20,000s (exact pricing is available upon request at dealers). At the core of the bikes sits the so-called Granturismo engine, a 1,158cc piece of hardware rated at a massive 170 hp at 10,500 rpm and a maximum torque of 125 Nm (92 lb-ft) at 8,750 rpm. The engine is lighter than the one that preceded it and tips the scale at 66.7 kg (147 pounds). But it is not only the engine that makes the bike special. The V4 is presently the first production motorcycle equipped with both a front and a rear radar, working together with the Adaptive Cruise Control (AAC) technology. Only a limited range of colors is available for the bike, going from the Ducati Red of the entry-level to the “particularly aggressive dedicated livery“ of the S Sport. This one also gets an Akrapovic exhaust and carbon front mudguard. The exhaust system is made of

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Harley’s shares hit 3-year high on EU-US trade truce

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by Michael Taylor from https://www.forbes.com Harley-Davidson Stock Soars As EU Decides Against 56% Tariff Surge The Harley-Davidson stock price surged this morning after the European Union deferred a tariff plan that would have seen the classic American motorcycle maker face a 56% entry ticket into the European market. Harley-Davidson Inc would have been one of the biggest losers if the tariff increase from the current 31% had gone through, though whiskey distillers and boat makers would also have taken a hit. “We are encouraged by today’s announcement that tariffs affecting our products will not escalate from 31% to 56%,” Harley-Davidson Chief Executive Jochen Zeitz said. “Harley-Davidson employees, dealers, stakeholders and motorcycles have no place in this trade war. These tariffs provide other motorcycle manufacturers with an unfair competitive advantage in the EU. “European motorcycles only pay up to 2.4% to be imported into the US. We want free and fair trade,” he said. The tariff hike was set to come into effect on June 1, but it has been shelved as both the US and the EU set about negotiations on steel and aluminum tariffs. It is estimated that the tariff would have impacted US$4 billion in exports from the US. The tariffs were initially imposed in 2018 in retaliation to a Trump administration tariff on steel (25%) and aluminum (10%), with further tariff retaliation slated to begin in June. “We did not want to be in this position,” European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said in June 2018. “However, the unilateral and unjustified decision of the U.S. to impose steel and aluminum tariffs on the EU means that we are left with no other choice.” The company may have dodged the tariff bullet, but it is still fighting on another front in Europe after having its Binding Origin Information (BOI)

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Tariff truce may spare iconic US products from huge price hikes

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by Jenny Leonard from https://financialpost.com U.S. and EU Set to Reach Temporary Tariff Truce Over Metals Iconic American products affected by EU countertariffs include Harley-Davidson Inc. motorcycles, Levi Strauss & Co. jeans and bourbon whiskey. Business associations and lawmakers have asked that the U.S. lift the duties, saying they do more harm than good. The Biden administration is set to announce it’s reached a truce in a dispute with the European Union over metal tariffs, sparing iconic products such as U.S. bourbon whiskey from a doubling of EU duties next month, people familiar with the matter said. A resolution could be announced as soon as Monday, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. At issue is a high-profile dispute that started in 2018 under former President Donald Trump, in which the U.S. imposed duties on steel and aluminum from Europe, Asia and elsewhere over risks to American national security. The EU has since retaliated and on June 1 was set to double tariffs on a list of American products to 50%. Under the agreement with the Biden administration, the EU will refrain from increasing those tariffs and both sides will engage in a dialog on steel overcapacity, according to the people. The European Union had previously proposed to suspend all duties on each other’s products for six months while negotiations on a long-term solution continue. “We can only reiterate that the EU remains committed to finding a solution with the U.S. to the unduly justified tariffs on steel and aluminium and to working with the U.S. in tackling the root cause of the problem, which is the global steel overcapacity,” a spokesperson for the European Commission said on Saturday. Negotiators on both sides of the Atlantic are working to eventually remove the tariffs

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All electric brand separate from the Harley-Davidson brand

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Harley-Davidson launches new electric-only LiveWire brand. Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire is no longer just a model, it’s a whole brand. The brand’s first dedicated model will debut on July 8. by Kyle Hyatt from https://www.cnet.com Pretend you’re Harley-Davidson for a minute. You’re the oldest continually operating American motorcycle manufacturer. You have legions of rabid fans acting as unpaid brand ambassadors. Your name is basically synonymous with motorcycling. Sounds good, right? Now, as Harley-Davidson, try and do something completely and utterly different than what you’ve done in the past. Now that history is working against you, and those loyal customers think you’ve betrayed the ideals of the brand they love. It’s a real Catch-22. You need to innovate, or you’ll die, but if you innovate, you make your core customers angry, and then you die. While things weren’t actually quite that dire for H-D, it’s definitely been tough. That’s pretty much what happened when Harley-Davidson launched the LiveWire electric motorcycle a few years ago. Now though, the folks in Milwaukee have decided to try a different route with the whole electric motorcycle thing, and that’s to spin LiveWire off into its own brand, according to an announcement Monday. New brand equals no baggage and that extra freedom to do new things could be just what Harley needs. “One of the six pillars of The Hardwire Strategy is to lead in electric – by launching LiveWire as an all-electric brand, we are seizing the opportunity to lead and define the market in EV,” Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz said in a statement. “With the mission to be the most desirable electric motorcycle brand in the world, LiveWire will pioneer the future of motorcycling, for the pursuit of urban adventure and beyond. LiveWire also plans to innovate and develop technology that will be applicable to Harley-Davidson

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Honda aims to have only electric vehicles sales by 2040

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by Reuters from https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com New Honda CEO aims for 100% electric vehicles by 2040 Speaking at his first news conference since taking the chief executive position at the beginning of April, Toshihiro Mibe said the company expects EVs and FCVs to account for 40% of sales by 2030 and 80% by 2035 in all major markets. TOKYO: Honda Motor Co’s new chief executive said on Friday the company was aiming to increase its ratio of electric vehicles (EVs) and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) to 100% of all sales by 2040. Speaking at his first news conference since taking the chief executive position at the beginning of April, Toshihiro Mibe said the company expects EVs and FCVs to account for 40% of sales by 2030 and 80% by 2035 in all major markets. Mibe began his leadership amid a growing shift in automobile technology to electric vehicles and autonomous driving. Traditionally known for its fuel-efficient internal combustion engines, Honda launched its first mass-produced all-battery vehicle last August. Mibe said the company also aimed to include advanced driver-assistance systems in all of its models in major markets by 2030.

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Harley-Davidson’s renewed focus on touring bikes drives upbeat forecast

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by Reuters from https://www.investing.com U.S. motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) on Monday reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit and raised its full-year forecast for sales growth, as its focus on bigger and profitable touring bikes boost demand, sending its shares up more than 8%. Since the middle of last year, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based company, which has struggled to grow sales for the past several years, shifted its focus to big bikes, traditional markets such as the United States and Europe, and older and wealthier customers. In February, the motorcycle maker unveiled a new turnaround plan that targets low double-digit earnings growth through 2025. The company said its retail sales, a measure of demand at its dealerships, surged 30% to 32,800 motorcycles in North America in its first quarter. Retail sales in Europe, Harley’s second biggest market outside the United States, slumped 36% to 4,900 motorcycles, due to the company’s decision to stop selling its smaller and less profitable Street or Sportster motorcycles and shipping delays as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company said lower sales incentives and a cut in its selling, general and administrative expense lifted its motorcycle business operating margin by over 10 points to 18.5%. It now expects motorcycles business revenue to grow in the range of 30% to 35% in 2021, up from its prior estimate of between 20% and 25%. Harley’s net income jumped over threefold to $259 million in the quarter ended March 28, from $70 million a year earlier. On an adjusted basis, the company earned $1.68 per share, beating analysts’ average estimate of 88 cents per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. The company’s revenue rose to $1.42 billion from about $1.30 billion.

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