Harley-Davidson Q1 Sales Down 4.2%; Focus on 10-Year Growth Strategy

Harley-Davidson 2017 Q1 Sales Report

As expected by Harley-Davidson’s financial specialist, first quarter retail sales in 2017 were down 4.2% compared to the first quarter of 2016.

In the USA, Q1 sales were down 5.7% compared to Q1 of 2016. Harley reports that this follows the declining trend of overall Q1 sales across the U.S motorcycle industry. Though 2017 Q1 sales were negative, Harley’s U.S. market share for Q1 was up slightly to 51.3% in the 601cc-plus motorcycle segment. In international markets, 2017 Q1 retail sales decreased by 1.8% over Q1 2016, Harley says.

“First quarter U.S. retail sales were in line with our projections and we remain confident in our full-year plan despite international retail sales being down in the first quarter,” said Matt Levatich, CEO, Harley-Davidson. “We are very pleased with our continued growth in U.S. market share and the progress our U.S. dealers made in reducing their inventory of 2016 motorcycles in the quarter.

“We recently announced our plan to build the next generation of Harley-Davidson riders globally. We are energized by our focused strategy, and we believe our powerful brand and commitment to excellence will position us to drive demand for our products and grow our sport,” concluded Levatich.

Harley-Davidson has announced it’s long-term strategy through 2027, which is focused on five objectives:

• Build two million new Harley-Davidson riders in the U.S.
• Grow international business to 50 percent of annual volume
• Launch 100 new, high-impact motorcycles, which begin with the new Street Rod and Road King Special
• Deliver superior return on invested capital for Harley-Davidson Motor Company (S&P 500 top 25%)
• Grow the business without growing its environmental impact

Harley-Davidson Retail Motorcycle Sales Report