Following the good response to its bikes in the country, iconic bike-maker Harley-Davidson is keen on assembling more (bike) models in its India factory at Bawal.

Of the 15 models it currently sells in India, five are assembled in Bawal, Haryana. Bawal is Harley-Davidson's second unit outside the US, the other being in Brazil. “We are keen to start assembling more models at Bawal. But such a decision will depend on customer feedback. If there is demand for a particular model we might explore the option of assembling more models here in the country,” Mr Anoop Prakash, Managing Director, Harley-Davidson India, said. Mr Prakash was in the city to inaugurate the company's first showroom in Kolkata and its first in the eastern and north-eastern region.

Cost Savings

According to him, assembling units locally lead to cost savings. In one such instance, the price of an 800cc bike model that sold at nearly Rs 7 lakh when it was imported, came down to Rs 5.6 lakh after it was assembled locally. Harley-Davidson's bikes in India are priced between Rs 5.6 lakh and Rs 35 lakh.

Good Response

According to Mr Prakash, the company, which started operations in India in August 2009, has so far sold over 1,000 units here. “The response has been good and, in some places like Ahmedabad, we have sold more bikes than expected,” he added. The company does not reveal India figures or break-up of its region-wise sales. In 2012 alone, the company is targeting sales of nearly 1,000 units across the country. It has over 1,000 customers in the country. Market sources said that the above 800cc bike category was nearly 1,600 units in India.

The company is also planning to shore up its footprint in the country. It has plans to open two more dealerships in Kochi and Goa this year. While the Kochi dealership is expected to come up by October this year, the Goa outlet will come up by December. Harley-Davidson currently has eight dealerships in India. Apart from Kolkata, the other dealerships are in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh.

“Typically, 30 per cent of our sales are from the smaller metros. And we will look to expand in other smaller metros soon,” Mr Prakash said.

> abhishek.l@thehindu.co.in

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