Harley-Davidson India Assembles First Units

American motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson announced that its subsidiary from India has already assembled its first motorcycles, with the first two units being a 2011 SuperLow and an Iron 883 model. The bikes have been built from complete knock-down kits with components produced at the company’s American facilities in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Missouri, as well as at Harley’s plant in Haryana.

Harley-Davidson India confirmed it will begin accepting orders for the new sportsters starting January 1, 2011. The 2011 SuperLow is priced at 550,000 rupees (US$12,100) and the Iron 883 at 650,000 rupees (US$14,320).

For the sake of comparison, American pricing for both sportsters is $7,999, but the Indian prices would have been higher if they were shipped whole from the U.S. instead of in kits. Local dealers will still offer 2010 stock which were imported as completely built units and subject to higher tariffs.

Harley-Davidson India began operations in August 2009 and opened its first dealership in July 2010. The Company currently offers 12 models in its 2010 line-up in India, available through authorized dealerships in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Hyderabad.

"CKD assembly operations in India are a natural next step for Harley-Davidson as we build our brand presence around the world," said Harley-Davidson Motor Company President and Chief Operating Officer Matthew S. Levatich. "This investment will allow us to improve our market responsiveness and production flexibility while reducing the tariff burden, which we expect will drive growth over time by making our bikes more accessible to India’s consumers.”

India is, in fact, the second country in which Harley-Davidson has CKD assembly operations outside the U.S., after Brazil where the company began assembly operations in 1999.