Harley-Davidson - Our Strategy

Our Company

In 1903, out of a small shed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, four young men lit a cultural wildfire that would grow and spread across geographies and generations. Their innovation and imagination for what was possible on two wheels sparked a transportation revolution and lifestyle that would make Harley-Davidson the most desirable motorcycle and lifestyle brand in the world. Today, we continue to define motorcycle culture and lifestyle, evoking soul-stirring emotion reflected in every product and experience we deliver - like we have for well over a century and will for generations to come.

OUR MISSION

More than building machines, we stand for the timeless pursuit of adventure. Freedom for the soul.

OUR VISION

Building our legend and leading through innovation, evolution and emotion.

OUR AMBITION

Harley-Davidson as the most desirable motorcycle and lifestyle brand in the world, building upon our history and leading motorcycle culture into the future.

OUR STRATEGIC PLAN

Guided by our mission and vision, The Hardwire is our five-year strategic plan (2021-2025). We are pursuing long-term profitable growth through focused efforts that extend and strengthen our brand, and drive value for all stakeholders. The Hardwire is designed to enhance the desirability of Harley-Davidson and fuel our unique lifestyle brand. With this plan, we are unleashing the potential of our most important products, segments and geographies. This includes growth in our complementary businesses and selective expansion into segments where we have a path to leadership.

Harley-Davidson has a tremendous opportunity to build a unique global lifestyle brand rooted in moto-culture. The iconic “bar and shield” is one of the most recognized logos in the world, and, unlike any of our competitors we have the opportunity to evolve our lifestyle brand to new heights if we rigorously pursue and execute on our strategy in the coming years.

— Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO

Desirability is a motivating force driven by emotion. Harley-Davidson has long been associated with igniting desirability - it’s in our DNA and embedded in Our Vision; it is at the heart of Our Mission and it is part of our legacy.

To enhance our position as the most desirable motorcycle and lifestyle brand in the world, we will:

Design, engineer and advance the most desirable motorcycles in the world - reflected in quality, innovation, and craftsmanship
Build a lifestyle brand, valued for the emotion reflected in every product and experience for riders and non-riders alike
Focus on our customers, delivering adventure and freedom for the soul

The Hardwire Strategic Priorities

Profit Focus

Investing in our strongest motorcycle segments

We will invest in strengthening and growing our leadership position in our strongest, most profitable motorcycle segments: Touring, Large Cruiser and Trike....

As the market leader, it is up to us to continue to innovate within these segments, both through technology and design, building on our rich heritage. We are focused on reinventing, reimagining and reinvigorating our Touring, Cruiser and Trike categories, where we see the potential to grow our leadership.

Selective Expansion and Redefinition

To win in attractive markets and motorcycle segments

We are focused on building our leadership in our most profitable global markets. In North America, we are investing to preserve and extend our position as the undisputed market leader... in the most profitable motorcycle market in the world.

In Asia Pacific we believe we have a significant opportunity to grow the premium segment across the regions, while striving for leadership in the most profitable markets of China, Japan, Korea and ANZ.

In Europe, Middle East and Asia, we will be using our most premium motorcycles to grow share, leveraging our brand and playing to win. Additionally, we plan to participate in the region with new products where our profitability targets are met.

In Latin America we are exploring new opportunities that best fit our profitability goals.

We are also focused on expansion within the Adventure Touring and Sport segments utilizing our new RevMax platform.

We plan to tap into the potential of the RevMax platform – using modularity to explore new markets and redefine category segments for the future. Modularity in design is a key advantage and allows us to invest in multiple categories using the same technology. This is evident in our Pan America, Sportster S and Nightster motorcycles.

Lead in Electric

Investing in leading the electric motorcycle market

Electric motorcycles are important to Harley-Davidson’s future and we are passionate about leading the electric motorcycle market and remain committed to staying at the forefront... of electric motorcycle technology.

We are proud to be the pioneers in this space through LiveWire, widely regarded as the leading electric motorcycle in the world.

In 2021, we introduced LiveWire as a distinct brand and in 2022 we announced that through an agreement with AEA-Bridges Impact Corp., LiveWire would become a publicly traded company.

It is our ambition that LiveWire will become the most desirable electric motorcycle brand in the world.

Growth Beyond Bikes

Expanding complementary businesses and engaging beyond product

We create products, services and experiences that inspire our customers to discover adventure, find freedom for the soul and live the Harley-Davidson lifestyle. Our Parts & Accessories... , Apparel & Licensing and Financial Services businesses are important to our future success as a global lifestyle brand.

Parts & Accessories: Customization is at the heart of moto-culture and for many is an integral part of the overall Harley-Davidson lifestyle. Parts & Accessories allows us to have a truly personal relationship with our customers and their bikes. We are focused on growing our overall Parts & Accessories offerings with opportunities at point of purchase for both new and used motorcycles, as well as through service and ecommerce.

Apparel & Licensing: Rooted in authenticity and heritage and defined by moto-culture, we have the opportunity to bring more people into our community through our Apparel & Licensing business and are fundamentally changing our approach to serving customers, both riders and non-riders alike.

Our overarching ambition is to elevate the design and craftsmanship of our apparel offering, with form, fit and function as a priority, underpinned by quality.

Harley-Davidson Financial Services: Our financial services business provides a distinct competitive advantage to us, as well as to our dealers. Customers appreciate the products and services we offer with HDFS and this segment will continue to be an important part of our Hardwire strategic plan.

Integrated Customer Experience

Growing our connection with riders and non-riders

Delivering on our growth ambitions requires us to provide a customer experience that meets and exceeds the expectations of our customers for modern retail, with seamless... interaction across digital and physical channels. We are building an experience that allows the customer to choose when and how to engage with us.

We are also evolving our global dealer network to continue to be the strongest and most exclusive network in the powersports industry.

Inclusive Stakeholder Management

United We Ride

At Harley-Davidson, we strive to deliver long-term value to all stakeholders (employees, dealers, customers, suppliers, investors)....

Inclusive Stakeholder Management is the unifying theme for how we think about our role, giving us purpose beyond financial performance and contributing to our community where we can.

Our inclusive stakeholder management efforts include:

Building a workforce that is reflective of our community
Establishing a path toward net zero carbon emissions for our products and operations
Driving shared prosperity for all stakeholders through fair, equitable and ethical policies and practices
And investing in our community where we operate, ensuring those locations are not just a great place to work but also a great place to live

Our Culture: H-D#1

H-D#1 defines our company’s soul and spirit. Represented by our recognizable #1 logo which was introduced in 1969 to celebrate a National Racing Championship, the #1 logo is uniquely ours - an iconic symbol of winning and the hard work it takes to get there. Our team, made up of employees and dealers, rally around ten H-D#1 leadership principles that are core to our winning, high-performance culture.

The H-D#1 leadership principles

Communication

Communicate with purpose, structure, facts and inspiration

Impact

Focus on impact, not process, and be outcome driven

Speed

Don’t let perfection get in the way of progress and pace

Courage

Take risks and go against the norm

Focus

Focus on a short list of meaningful opportunities that build desirability

Agility

Accelerate, innovate and thrive in a rapidly changing environment

Simplicity

Pursue the simplest path to achieve each outcome

Culture

Be fair, honest, positive and creative. Strive to win and have fun.

Judgment

Think strategically and make informed decisions

Lean

Maximize impact with limited resources

Our Leadership

Meet the directors and executive management of Harley-Davidson, including Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president and CEO, Harley-Davidson, Inc.

meet the team