Harley-Davidson to launch electric motorcycles in Japan around 2024
TOKYO
Harley-Davidson Inc will launch electric motorcycles in Japan as early as 2024, its chief executive said, as the American manufacturer seeks to secure a foothold in the growing all-electric two-wheeler market in the country.
"There is a long-term transition from combustion (engines) to whatever the technology is going to be," CEO Jochen Zeitz said in an interview with Kyodo News. "We want to be a pioneer" in the transition.
The products will be sold under LiveWire Group Inc., the company's electric motorcycle division, which was spun off in 2022 but remains under its control, Zeitz said.
All-electric motorcycles are a fledgling segment of the overall two-wheeler market in Japan, with a growing number of companies, such as Yamaha Motor Co and Honda Motor Co, starting to offer products.
"I have yet to see an electric motorcycle from Japanese brands in the segment where LiveWire is competing," Zeitz said, adding that its vehicles are bigger than rival products.
LiveWire has already begun to sell its products in the United States and plans to expand into other regions outside Japan.
Selling electric vehicles under a different brand than Harley-Davidson, the American icon of large-size, gasoline-powered motorcycles, will help win support from various types of customers, such as those who want to try out new technology and those who expect to have powerful engines on their motorcycles, the CEO said.
I′ve been riding a couple of years in Japan and seen lots of Harleys. I can well imagine that E-Harleys/LiveWires will sell well in Japan. Traffic conditions as well as many winding roads in the back country are a perfect playground for these "fun-bikes". Besides, if LiveWire will be able to somehow "connect" their Harley history within the heads of their potential Japanese customers and/or create a nice Harley-like brand story to their LiveWires, it′s gonna be a well selling product. After all Harley is active since 1913 in Japan and has over 100 dealers in the country. If a bigger portion of these dealers are willing (and trained for E-bikes) sales should be favorable. My take on "LiveWire Japan". Good luck anyways. BTW: Does anyone know how many Harleys are their in Japan and how their market share is? I′d be interested to know. Cheers and ride safe out there!