Harley Davidson bikes will get cheaper in India as the company plans to go the CKD way. Harley Davidson will start assembling select models in India by importing them as CKD units and assembling them at its Bawal facility in Haryana. This will make its bikes cheaper by at least 20-25% in domestic market as CKD units attract up to 40 percent duty against CBU units which attract 104% duty.
When the assembly line gets operational, the current Harley Davidson Sportster will drop down to a price of Rs. 4.2 lakh against its current price of Rs. 7 lakh.
“The new project will make our bikes more competitive in the market,” said Anoop Prakash, Managing Director of Harley-Davidson India. “We are building a strong foundation for our business in India, first by establishing a world-class dealer network, and now by commencing CKD assembly operations. It is important for us to continue to invest in strategies that make our products and experiences accessible to an increasingly broader set of customers across India,” he said further. The super bike market in India was estimated at around 1,000 units last year and is growing 20% a year. It’s dominated by Japanese companies Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda with Suzuki’s Hayabusa in the lead.
