New Delhi, March 5, 2013: In a speedy reaction following the increase in customs duties on imported bikes (from 60 percent to 75 percent), Harley-Davidson India has announced further expansion of its Completely Knocked Down (CKD) operations in India with an addition of three models from its Softail family. The Fat Boy, Heritage Softail Classic and Fat Boy Special, previously offered as Completely Built-Up (CBU) imports, will now be assembled at the Harley-Davidson facility in Bawal, Haryana. As a result of this, the sticker price for these three bikes now stands substantially reduced by Rs 4-5 lakh.
Commenting on the plan, Anoop Prakash, managing director, Harley-Davidson India (pictured with the Softail family line-up), said: “We are excited to accelerate our plans to expand our CKD line-up. While the duties appear to have increased on CBU imports, the impact on our pricing will be minimal thanks to our steady focus on developing our completely knocked down (CKD) operations in India since early 2011. Our CKD operation allows us to contribute to local investment while also reducing the tariff burden for customers across India. With this announcement, nine of the 12 models in our India line-up are now being assembled in our India CKD facility.”
While the 1690cc Fat Boy will now cost Rs 14.9 lakh (ex- showroom Delhi) as against the previous CBU price of Rs 19.45 lakh, the Fat Boy Special is priced at Rs 15.6 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) as against the previous CBU pricing of Rs 19.70 lakh. Meanwhile, the retro-looking Heritage Softail Classic cruiser now bears a sticker price of Rs 16.25 lakh (ex- showroom Delhi) as against the previous CBU pricing of Rs 20.45 lakh.
Along with these three bikes, the other CKD models are from the Sportster model family (SuperLow, Iron 883, Forty-Eight) and Dyna model family (Street Bob, Super Glide Custom, and Fat Bob). Harley-Davidson’s price range in India starts at Rs 5.6 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the Harley-Davidson SuperLow.
In the 10-month April 2012-January 2013 period, Harley-Davidson India sold 1,057 bikes, a 297 percent increase albeit on a low base of 266 units sold in the year-ago period.
Harley-Davidson India commenced operations in August 2009 and appointed its first dealership in July 2010. The company currently has nine authorised dealerships across India.