Market reports – Harley on the Highway to France – Used HARLEY-DAVIDSON

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Harley on the Highway to France

Market reports - Harley on the Highway to France - Used HARLEY-DAVIDSON

Harley-Davidson continues to grow in France with + 21.2% in market share, or 4,508 vehicles sold over the course of a year interesting, disturbing and encouraging. The explanations of the French big boss.

Jean-Luc Mars, Managing Director of Harley-Davidson France, looks back on a year 2005 which saw Harley sales increase by 21.2% compared to last year, while Buell grew by 7.9%. Now the 6th largest manufacturer in France, the wish to "make Harley-Davidson a major brand on the French market"is in the process of being accomplished.

For this, 2006 should follow on from 2005, while teaching: "we will humbly continue to explain our values ​​and share our passion", predicts Jean-Luc Mars.

Moto-Net: What is your assessment of 2005? ?
Jean-Luc Mars, General Manager Harley-Davidson France: 2005 has been an interesting, worrying and encouraging year for us. Let me explain :

  • Interesting, because brands with a strong character are progressing and that, slowly but surely, we are moving out of all-Japanese culture: Triumph, BMW, Harley and Buell are making strong progress, each with their own identity and values..

  • Worrisome, because the current clearly anti-two-wheeler policy risks having serious long-term consequences. Also worrying because of the difficulties encountered by small manufacturers such as Benelli, MV Agusta or Voxan. Motorcycles also live on their wealth, their creativity, their madness…

  • Encouraging finally, given our results: for three years, Harley France has implemented a dynamic policy, a mixture of humility and passion, intended to give the Harley-Davidson brand the place it deserves, namely a epicurean high-end brand, an accessible passion brand, a brand with a rich past and relevant news.

Our ambition is to continue our efforts in the years to come, always with humility and simplicity. Our room for improvement is substantial and we are already focused on the success of 2006 and the preparation of 2007.

Moto-Net: Which are your best-selling models and why ?
J.-L. M .: Four models emerge:

  • The Sportster 1200R Roadster, not surprisingly since we had made a significant effort on the price of this machine last year by repositioning it below 10,000 euros. The mix of the new Sportster chassis, the character-packed 1200 engine, the timeless beauty of the Sportster and Harley-Davidson quality at a price in the heart of the heavy-duty market has hit the mark.

  • The Sportster 1200C Custom, a safe bet in the range, again combining the character of the 1200, a very refined aesthetic and a competitive price.

  • The Buell range, and in particular the XB 12 S Lightning. Despite particularly dense competition in 2005 (MT 01, Speed ​​Triple, KTM), Buell is making progress. The brand’s notoriety is still low, but those who know Buell know exactly what it stands for: motorcycles with very strong character created by a passionate engineer and above all unique motorcycles, incomparable and devilishly efficient. These are also motorcycles that can be discovered, that we learn to appreciate over the miles and that is precious! These are not motorcycles that are revealed in 5 kilometers and which become terribly boring as soon as the break-in is finished! You don’t buy a Buell by chance !

  • Finally, The FLHRCI Road King: the proven success of the Touring range is important to us. Indeed, this range combines real qualities of grand touring (comfort, protection, luggage, torque, ease of maintenance, reliability) has a very pure aesthetic and an incomparable character. There is a strong demand today for beautiful machines allowing to practice "very great quiet tourism" and the offer is very succinct. Our customers drive a lot, far and long !

Moto-Net: Which models are less successful and do you know why ?
J.-L. M .: The less successful models are niche models that generally appeal to a small number of enthusiasts. The Softail Night Train, Springer Classic or Dyna Wide Glide belong to this category. These models are nevertheless important for two reasons: on the one hand they are machines with a very strong identity that only a brand like Harley can produce, and then they are not rational machines, the fruit of a committee in search of a consensus ! They are radical machines, passion motorcycles, usually created by a member of the style bureau. They find a limited but passionate clientele. In the absence of a small manufacturer, I think it is vital that the big brands still dare this kind of motorcycles !

Moto-Net: What was the pleasant surprise of this year ?
J.-L. M .: Undoubtedly, the success of the Dyna 2006 range and in particular the Street Bob. This is a machine that hits the mark. It’s very interesting because we offer a typical machine, Bobber style, matt black, with an Ape Hanger handlebars, a real face at a reasonable price and the bike immediately makes a very good result. This proves unambiguously that there is more and more demand for motorcycles with very strong character..

Moto-Net: Which was the worst ?
J.-L. M .: The launch of the Heritage Standard. It is a machine that I personally created when I was responsible for the Softail platform in Milwaukee in 2002, at the request, it must be said, of European dealers. However, to this day, this 2006 novelty has gone relatively unnoticed, crushed by other more spectacular ones such as the Street Bob or the Night Rod. I hope it will find its place over time because it is a beautiful, simple and timeless machine that has its place in our market.

Moto-Net: What are your goals for 2006 ?
J.-L. M .: Our ambition is strong and clearly displayed, but it is not just about market share. Our goal is not to make a hit in a year or two but to build a solid brand, a solid distribution network and to make our customers happy! In the over 650 cc market, which is our benchmark market, Harley is number 1 in the United States and Japan. Our ambition is to make Harley-Davidson a major brand on the French market.

Moto-Net: How will you achieve these goals ?
J.-L. M .: We will continue our policy which can be summed up in three words: "explain, explain, explainHarley and Buell are passionate brands and we want to share this passion. Nevertheless, these are brands that are sometimes poorly known or misunderstood. So many preconceived ideas about Harley, especially from seasoned bikers who, however, admit never having tried one of our machines! We will therefore, humbly, continue to explain our values ​​and share our passion.

Moto-Net: Are you satisfied with your network ?
J.-L. M .: We are very satisfied with our network. We have made a number of choices over the past three years which are bearing fruit: a relatively limited number of concessions (around fifty), but no compromise on the quality of the network. We want each dealership to be able to offer the quality and professionalism expected from a high-end brand. This requires a certain amount of investment from the dealers, which is only possible if each dealer achieves a sufficient number of sales. As such, we have just exceeded the symbolic bar of 100 Harley motorcycles sold by concession in 2005 (against 66 in 2003). For several years, we have set up a very dense training program, both technical, commercial and managerial. We try to build a real partnership with a loyal and committed network, passionate and demanding. We are attached to an exclusive network and the number of multi-brand dealers is currently declining with less than a quarter of the network.

Moto-Net: Are you satisfied with the sales of the Street Rod ?
J.-L. M .: Quite frankly, Street Rod sales are slightly below our forecasts. However, the impact of this model is very positive: the Street Rod has attracted many bikers in concession who have sometimes left with a completely different model … The specialized press has been unanimous in praising the qualities of this machine and the first customers are delighted with their motorcycle. I think that the Street Rod will gradually settle on the French market and that the results of the first year are not necessarily revealing. Unlike others, our motorcycles are not out of fashion after two years of existence and I would not be surprised if the success of the Street Rod is revealed over time, like a certain V-Max 20 years ago….

Interview by Matthieu BRETILLE

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