American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 224 March 2018 | Page 6

<<< Continued from cover shipments, resulting in an increase in operating margin as a percent of revenue compared to the same period in 2016.” For 2018, Harley says it anticipates fullyear motorcycle shipments to be approximately 231,000 to 236,000 motorcycles – down by between-2 and-4 percent. In the first quarter of 2018, Harley said it expected to ship approximately 60,000 to 65,000 motorcycles. The annual figures somewhat camouflaged a dramatically disappointing final quarter of 2017, one theoretically underpinned by the new M-8 engined Softails becoming available at dealerships.

Harley-Davidson Iron 1200

Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Special

6 AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER- MARCH 2018

The company’ s worldwide retail motorcycle sales were down-6.7 percent in 2017 compared to 2016, with domestic U. S. retail sales down- 8.5 percent, while international retail sales fared better at down-3.9 percent. Harley’ s release went on to say that“ as the company executed against its longterm objective to build the next generation of Harley-Davidson riders globally, 57 new international dealer points were added in 2017, and U. S. dealers trained more than 62,000 riders through the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy. The company also maintained its number one 601 + cc motorcycle market share position in

Income statements in THREE MONTHS ENDED TWELVE MONTHS ENDED $ 1,000s( except share) DEC 2017 DEC 2016 DEC 2017 DEC 2016

countries including the U. S., Canada, Japan, Australia and India for 2017.” When asked, the company was unable to say how many of these new riders had bought a Harley-Davidson motorcycle as a result of their Riding Academy training. It went on to state that it remained“ fully committed to investing in product development to inspire new riders through redefining its product in traditional spaces and expanding into new spaces. The company is on target to launch its first electric motorcycle within 18 months. Today, the company announces it will invest more aggressively to lead in the application of electric motorcycle technology to inspire ridership among a new audience.” CEO Matt Levatich added that“ the EV motorcycle market is in its infancy today, but we believe premium Harley- Davidson electric motorcycles will help drive excitement and participation in the sport globally. As we expand our EV capabilities and commitment, we get even more excited about the role electric motorcycles will play in growing our business.” For the record, ACEM, the Brussels based international motorcycle industry trade association for Europe, says that( for the 28 member states of the European Union) a mere 4,121 electric motorcycles were registered in the whole of 2017; plus 27,029 electric mopeds( equivalent to 50cc and smaller units) and a further 3,242 electric“ quadricycles”. That is in a market of some 360 million consumers of riding age, where development of acceptance of and demand for E-bikes is at least a decade or more ahead of the United States; and in a continent where the concept of Urban Mobility is well understood and heavily promoted by regulators as a potentially major contributor to environmentally friendly and congestion busting, future facing transportation policy.

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