Facing slow sales in the U.S. and rising costs from recent tariffs, Harley-Davidson Inc. is sprucing up its global lineup, including the company’s first electric motorcycles.
The Milwaukee-based manufacturer will roll out LiveWire, its first electric bike, in August 2019, according to a promotional video.
Harley plans to introduce as many as five more electric models -- including lightweight, urban bikes -- by 2022, according to a slide presentation.
A small motorcycle model will be introduced in India in the next two years through a partnership with an unspecified Asian manufacturer, according to the slides.
A series of middleweight bikes will begin production in 2020 to target growing sales in Europe. The company also said it plans to grow in China with an expanded product portfolio and a new distribution center.
These plans will cost Harley-Davidson as much as $550 million in operating investment and $275 million in capital investment through 2022, it said in the presentation. By then the company forecasts increasing revenue by as much as $1.5 billion and operating profit by as much as $250 million.
By Sarah Gardner
