Don't let the title fool you: Quianjiang, Harley-Davidson's new partner, is one of the most important industrial conglomerates on the planet. This company owns Benelli (and is responsible for its return to the market), Keeway, Generic, and KSR. Quianjiang, in turn, belongs to Geely , which began manufacturing refrigerators in 1984. Today they have acquired Volvo (cars, trucks, and buses) and the Italian brand Lotus. They also control Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz, Smart, and Maybach).
Harley-Davidson aims to attract more riders to the brand through this merger. In fact, its goal is to grow 50% globally by 2027.
The new model will be premium quality and have a 338cc engine. It bears a striking resemblance to the Benelli BN 302 and is intended to be initially introduced in the Chinese market, where the motor company grew 27% in 2018.
In principle, it seems like a good idea to partner with major manufacturers to continue growing in these challenging times for the industry, just as Ducati did when it was acquired by the Volkswagen Group. But we mustn't forget that Geely bought Benelli to penetrate Western markets with a renowned brand, and few names are as reputable as Harley-Davidson... Will they one day receive a takeover offer they can't refuse?
1 comment
como usuario de la Marca HARLEY de hace muchos años, espero que nunca pierdan su calidad y la mística, que tiene la marca por mas que quieran acceder a otros mercados, Harley Davidson debe ser rústica y a carburador.