Harley Davidson, the iconic American bike maker, seems all set to boost its sales in the Indian auto market, amid the negativities that are prevailing in the industry. Reportedly, the company is planning to open two more showrooms by the end of this year, which will help it to cater a wider section of the society. It must be noted that several car and bike makers are worried because of their falling sales in the Indian auto market.
Expressing his views on the same, the Managing Director of the company, Anoop Prakash was quoted as saying, “At Harley Davidson India, we are enthusiastic about this market. We are a lifestyle brand. Last thing you do is to cut down on your passion and Harley is all about passion. We have seen a steady growth here. We entered this market in 2009 and between 2010 and 2013, we already have 2,000 Harleys on the road. We will continue to invest here. We just entered Indore and will add two new dealers in Jaipur and Pune soon.”
Speaking on the impact of falling value of rupee, Prakash said the company might face some adverse conditions; however there will be no major issues. “Impact is certainly there, but we have not raised prices. A lot of our forex is managed at a foreign level. But we will watch the situation,” he added later.
In an official statement, he further said that Harley Davidson has recorded a double-digit growth in the Indian auto market, which seems quite impressive. Earlier, the auto maker expressed its plans to start assembling three of its iconic models in India, resulting in a price reduction up to Rs. 4.55 lakh. Following the same, the company assembles its models like Fat Boy, Heritage Softail Classic and Fat Boy Special at its Bawal unit, based in Haryana. After the local assembly of these models has commenced in the country, the price of Fat Boy has been brought down to Rs. 14.9 lakh from earlier Rs. 19.4 lakh. On the same lines, the Fat Boy Special is now available for Rs. 15.6 lakh as against Rs. 19.70 lakh (al prices are ex-showroom, Delhi).
Fat Boy happens to be a performance oriented bike, which comes equipped with an air-cooled, twin cam engine, which has a displacement of 1690 cc. With a maximum torque generation capacity of 132 Nm, Fat Boy is appreciated by both – bike enthusiasts and critics. Heritage Softail Classic is another model in the limelight, which has comes equipped with a well appreciated engine of 1,690 cc. With a peak torque of 130 Nm, this bike happens to be breeze on roads. Fat Boy Special is the third bike, which is assembled in the Indian auto industry. Equipped with a air-cooled twin cam engine of 1690 cc, the highest torque generated by this bike measures at 132 Nm.
