Despite a challenging market environment on account of Covid-19 induced disruptions, Harley-Davidson emerged as the top seller in the 1,000cc and above segment, taking its market share in the category to 37% in the previous financial year (FY22), compared to 27% in FY21.
According to data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Hero MotoCorp sold a total of 601 Harley-Davidson motorcycles in FY22, of which 531 units were in the 1,000cc and above segment, mostly driven by the Pan America 1250 Special and Sportster S motorcycles.
In comparison, only 206 units of Harley Davidson motorcycles were sold in the country in the preceding fiscal year (FY21).
Harley-Davidson has raced ahead of Triumph Motorcycles India, which sold 336 units, India Kawasaki Motors – 283 units, Suzuki Motorcycles India – 233 units and Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) with 71 units in 1000cc+ category in FY22.
“Since the time Hero MotoCorp has taken over the exclusive distributorship of our products, there has been a lot of demand uptick for our entire range, as our customers are now assured of sales, service and parts. The company has also been doing a lot of customer-connect initiatives which is helping in driving sales,” a Harley-Davidson dealer based in north India told ET on condition of anonymity.
The market leadership in this segment comes nearly two years after Hero MotoCorp, the homegrown two-wheeler giant, took charge of the sales and distribution of the Harley-Davidson brand in India.
Since then, Hero MotoCorp has expanded the distribution network of Harley-Davidson to 13 full-fledged dealerships and 10 authorized service centres across the country, exclusively for Harley-Davidson customers.
“Hero MotoCorp has also been very proactive in mobilizing the Harley Owners Group (HOG). The company brought back the much-loved H.O.G. Rally in India on April 9-10 this year, after a hiatus of two-years. More than 540 Harley-Davidson riders from across the country participated in the Western HOG Rally in Mahabaleshwar,” said a Harley-Davidson owner who participated in the Western HOG rally. The next such event will be the Southern HOG Rally, to be organized in Hyderabad on August 26-27.
In October 2020, Hero MotoCorp took over the distribution of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, parts, accessories and merchandise in India after the American company decided to shut down its operations in India. The company subsequently set up a separate vertical to drive its new business of Harley-Davidson products and merchandise distribution in the country.
