NEW DELHI: With an eye on India, Harley-Davidson has decided to go small at a time when it is caught in a bitter trade war initiated by US President Donald Trump. The cult American bike maker has decided to manufacture “more accessible, small displacement” bikes in the 250-500cc range, which would be targeted at India and other Asian markets.

The company is looking at a “strategic alliance” that could enable it to manufacture smaller motorcycles in India, sources said, though it is not yet clear who could be the possible partner. The move comes as part of Harley’s 2022-centric ‘More Roads to Harley-Davidson’ plan, which aims at getting more people into the company’s fold, especially from international markets. The idea is to compete in large and fast-growing segments of global markets, with a full portfolio of motorcycles across a broad spectrum of price points and displacements.

At present, Harley has 750cc as its smallest bike in India. It has an assembly facility at Bawal in Haryana, but this may not be used for the new range that hits the roads in next two years. The new product and broader distribution is intended to fuel Harley’s customer access and growth in India, one of the largest and fastest growing markets in the world, and other markets in Asia.

The push by Harley comes at a time when other companies such as BMW, Triumph and Kawasaki are going for smaller versions to widen buyer-base and attract premium consumers, many of whom are currently opting for Eicher Motors’ Royal Enfield.

While BMW recently introduced a 310cc bike (its smallest globally) in a manufacturing partnership with TVS, Triumph — the British cult bikemaker — has joined hands with Bajaj Auto for smaller-displacement motorcycles.

Matt Levatich, president and CEO of the company, said Harley intends to give a significant push to its numbers. The company also plans an electric range by launching its first such motorcycle LiveWire next year. These will be no-clutch “twist and go” electric bikes.

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