Market reports – First half of 2015: Harley-Davidson’s market report – Used HARLEY-DAVIDSON

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First half of 2015: Harley-Davidson’s market report

Market reports - First half of 2015: Harley-Davidson's market report - Used HARLEY-DAVIDSON

Harley-Davidson has just completed the first half of 2015 with a decrease of -7.3% and has a total of 4,450 registrations. The brand’s marketing and communications manager, Xavier Crepet, shares his impressions with MNC readers. First assessment…

Site: After six years of constant decline, the French motorcycle market returned to growth in 2014 with + 2.5% (read our). In the first half of 2015, the increase was limited to + 0.8% (read our). Should we be worried ?
Xavier Crepet, Harley-Davidson France Marketing and Communication Manager: The slight increase recorded in 2014 had given hope to those who were looking for so much, but it was completely fragile and artificial since it was generated only by the launch on the market of two high-volume models within the same brand. Unfortunately, the overall market development in the first half of 2015 is more in line with a gloomy market environment that we have known for more than seven years now. In this context, models or brands of character seem to be doing better..

MNC: Regarding Harley-Davidson, what is your assessment of your first six months of 2015? ?
X. C .: Rather exceptionally, we did not have any new Harley-Davidson models to present at the start of the year, which we lacked from a traffic and sales point of view in the first half of the year. The launch in September 2014 on the French market entered its first full year of marketing in 2015 and saw its sales increase month after month to a new clientele who can now access the brand more easily. On the event side, we had a very lively first semester with a remarkable presence at and at Wheels & Waves to present our Dark Custom range as well as our Street 750 customized from the "Battle of The Kings", an inter-network customization challenge at the level European. During the period, we also organized our benchmark and essential event: the in Grimaud at the beginning of May, which brought together nearly 40,000 people, as well as the tests of our electric motorcycle at the end of June on the Michelin circuits in Clermont Ferrand with the media. , dealers, customers and prospects of the brand.

MNC: For you, what is the highlight of this first half of the year? ?
X. C .: The retirement of our CEO, Keith Wandell, who has done an outstanding job on the company and the Harley-Davidson brand since his arrival in 2009. Since May, he is succeeded by our new CEO, Matt Levatich, who will continue the work of developing the brand for years to come.

MNC: How is your second semester going? ?
X. C .: Harley-Davidson should have a good second semester which has already started on the hottest days with the organization of two exceptional events at the American Tours Festival in early July in Tours, and the Morzine Harley Days in Morzine in mid-July, both events that brought together nearly 40,000 brand enthusiasts. Towards the start of the school year, we will have the opportunity to present new models, a moment eagerly awaited by the dealer network and our customers, and we will finally end 2015 with our return in early December..

MNC: Finally, the government has still not settled the question of the "retrofit" (read). How this lack of response impacts your business ?
X. C .: If we can regret the absence of a decision on the subject since the opening of the file, our brand is only slightly affected by this measure. Only our Harley-Davidson V-Rod model is affected on our range of 35 models.

Interview by Matthieu BRETILLE

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