Harley-Davidson is venturing further into India with its new CKD Assembly operations in the State of Haryana. Harley will be shipping select models from its factories in The United States to India, where they will be assembled.
The CKD (complete knockdown) assembly should be ready and operational in the first half of 2011.
“CKD assembly operations in India are a natural next step for Harley-Davidson as we build our brand presence around the world,” said Harley-Davidson Motor Company President and Chief Operating Officer Matthew S. Levatich. “This investment will allow us to improve our market responsiveness and production flexibility while reducing the tariff burden, which we expect will drive growth over time by making our bikes more accessible to India's consumers. Given the strong response we have received in the initial months of retail operations, we believe this is the right investment for this important market.”
Until now, Harley has been shipping completely assembled motorcycles from The United States to India. India will become the second country outside the US to use the CKD assembly operation to build Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Harley also has a CKD assembly operation in Brazil.
“We are committed to global growth and growth in India for the long term,” Levatich said. “India's rapidly growing economy, rising middle class and significant investment in construction of new roads and highways are paving the way for leisure motorcycle riding.”
Harley-Davidson India began operation in August 2009. It opened it's first dealership in July 2010, and now India will get a Harley-Davidson CKD assembly facility.
