Why should Harley-Davidson's new $ 30,000 electric motorcycle not crush and burn?



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<p class = "web-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "CEO of Harley-Davidson, Matt Levatich & nbsp;m said in August 2015"We are trying to erase the perception that Harley is just for old whites." "Data-reactid =" 15 "> Harley-Davidson's CEO, Matt Levatich, said in August 2015:" We are trying to erase the perception that Harley is just for the old white guys. "

<p class = "web-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "About four years later – accompanied by 38% drop from action course of the legendary biker – Harley-Davidson (PORK) is still trying to reverse this perception among American consumers. Certainly, I have seen Levatich and his management team try to reverse the trend of slowing sales in its main domestic market. "Data-reactid =" 16 "> About four years later – accompanied by a 38% drop in Harley-Davidson (HOG) is still trying to reverse this perception among American consumers, I've obviously seen Levatich and its management team attempt to reverse the downward trend in sales in its domestic market.

Harley-Davidson made lighter and cheaper bikes to better compete with Honda's imports. The company sponsored the X-Games to reinforce its cool factor among the millennials. He has invested in driver academies in order to attract runners and other beginners.

At the same time, it reduced costs when these companies did not live up to their expectations. Not making things easier for Harley-Davidson, President Donald Trump is constantly hanging around on Twitter, because of his outrage at the fact that Harley-Davidson has transferred some of its production abroad.

Yet Harley-Davidson's sales and profit difficulties persisted in 2018 and the first quarter of this year. The same goes for the lukewarm interest of people to own a motorcycle.

Consumer interest in the purchase of a new bike remains below the maximum, according to a study conducted earlier this year by UBS. The investment bank interviewed 2,100 US adults aged 21 and over.

"The average age of Harley buyers reaching the age of 50, the feeling that they are too old to ride can be a headwind for HOG. Looking at the data, it is interesting to note that "unlikely" motorcycle buyers are almost "extremely unlikely" to buy a motorcycle in the next 12 months, "said Robin Farley, General Manager and Research Analyst at UBS .

Harley bets a lot on his very first electric bike

Harley Davidson's first electric motorcycle project, "Project LiveWire", is being shown in Chicago, IL, USA, on June 25, 2015. Photo taken June 25, 2015. REUTERS / Jim Young

<p class = "canvas-atom web-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "All this makes the beginning of August of & nbsp;The first ever Harley-Davidson electric bike called LiveWire& nbsp; critical for his future. It is unlikely that Harley-Davidson will achieve substantial material gains in the second half of this year. Given its high price of $ 30,000 and its limited production, just do not expect a mass ownership of LiveWire bikes. "Data-reactid =" 34 "> All of this makes Harley-Davidson's first electric bike called LiveWire in August Harley-Davidson is unlikely to gain substantial material gains in the second half of this year, given its high price $ 30,000 and its limited production, just do not expect LiveWire bikes to be in large quantities.

But make no mistake, LiveWire is the first step in Harley-Davidson's attempt to reverse its trajectory after years of declining sales. LiveWire is a bet on the fact that Harley-Davidson can win with more than a thousand years traveling in cities, after all, it is much easier to drive a bike (no clutch, for example).

<p class = "canvas-atom-canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Indeed, & nbsp;the bike is ready to grab the attention of everyone. "data-reactid =" 36 "> Indeed, the bike is ready to attract everyone's attention.

The bike is terribly cool to watch – it's a relentless Harley-Davidson, a testament to something that's been in development for over five years. And the specifications are out of the cards: 145 miles on a full charge; the full charge takes only one hour; Maximum speed of 110 mph. The first reviews of faithful motorcycle journalists are positive.

This electric masterpiece must create a halo on the Harley-Davidson brand, a brand that tells people that the road icon reaches it and that includes the future of transportation. Otherwise, Harley-Davidson's investment in new electric bikes that will make their debut by 2022 will collapse. As well as the hundreds of millions more dollars that Harley-Davidson is investing in R & D to modernize its product line more broadly over the next few years.

An electric bike. A chance to get there. No doubt about it, Harley-Davidson is hoping for a big August.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Brian Sozzi is an editor and co-host ofThe first trade'At Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @BrianSozzi"data-reactid =" 40 ">Brian Sozzi is an editor and co-host ofThe first trade'At Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @BrianSozzi

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Read the latest financial and commercial news from Yahoo Finance"data-reactid =" 41 ">Read the latest financial and commercial news from Yahoo Finance

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