Harley-Davidson transforms LiveWire into a standalone brand of electric motorcycles – TechCrunch

LiveWire, Harley-Davidson’s electric motorcycle, is emerging as a stand-alone brand with a new logo and brand identity.

Harley-Davidson first unveiled the LiveWire electric motorcycle in 2018 with a listing price of $ 29,799, which puts it in the high end for motorcycles. It went into production the following year, with a few dents, including a brief stoppage in production due to a load-related issue on one of the motorcycles. The “First LiveWire Brand Motorcycle†will launch on July 8. Its public debut will take place a day later at the International Motorcycle Show, Harley-Davidson announced on Monday.

Dealers have struggled to sell the bike to younger and newer bikers, Reuters reported in 2019. Part of the problem was the price, which is in the same category as a Tesla Model S, dealers told the newswire at the time. Given that Harley-Davidson’s hard core is still made up of baby boomers, who are starting to age out of products, the question is whether a new spin-out and rebranding can attract younger riders (and well-off).

The two companies will share technological advancements and LiveWire “will benefit from Harley-Davidson’s engineering expertise, manufacturing footprint, supply chain infrastructure and global logistics capabilities,” said Harley-Davidson. Davidson Monday.

LiveWire will have dedicated showrooms, starting with California, and a “virtual†headquarters with hubs in Silicon Valley and Milwaukee.

Harley-Davidson is one of the nation’s most recognized motorcycle manufacturers, but sales have struggled in recent years. The company’s annual revenue fell nearly 24% in 2020 from the previous year, although this is likely due in part to the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The company also cut 700 jobs from its global operations last summer, as part of a restructuring plan known as “The Rewire”.

More recently, the company launched a five-year strategic plan called “The Hardwireâ€. The plan calls for investing more in the electricity market. The company has already started to move in this direction with the release last November of its Serial 1 Cycle electric bikes. Its Rush / Cty Speed ​​model can reach speeds of up to 28 mph and costs $ 5,000.