Harley-Davidson to shut manufacturing unit in India

Faced with falling demand for its products in India, US motorcycle giant Harley-Davidson has announced that it is closing its manufacturing facility in Bawal in India’s north Indian state of Haryana. As part of what the company termed “The Rewire” which involves an overhaul of its operating model and market structure, the company is changing its business model in India and evaluating options to continue to serve its customers.

While the Bawal facility is being shut, the company will significantly reduce the size of its sales office in Gurgaon. “The company is communicating with its customers in India and will keep them updated on future support. The Harley-Davidson dealer network will continue to serve customers through the contract term,”, the company said in a press release.

These actions are aligned with The Rewire which is planned to continue through the end of 2020, leading to The Hardwire, a new strategic plan for 2021-2025 aimed at building desirability for the Harley-Davidson brand and products. It added.

Harley-Davidson is the second major auto company from the US that has shut its India operations. The first to go a few years ago was General Motors. Harley-Davidson range of bikes in India started with the 750cc H-D street and went up all the way to more powerful touring & CVO motorcycles.