Harley-Davidson saw sales growth in most markets in the first quarter of 2014, but Canada was the exception.
According to their press release, Harley-Davidson sold 57,415 bikes in Q1, up from 54,254 the year before. The largest chunk of those sales was in the US, where the MoCo saw sales climb three per cent, selling 35,730 bikes in that market. Overseas markets saw bigger growth, although they accounted for less units sold; international sales were up 10.9 per cent to 21,685 motorcycles. For some of those regions, like India, you can likely attribute some of those sales to Harley-Davidson’s new, more affordable Street 500 and Street 750 models. For other regions, the Project Rushmore bikes likely were a boost.
However, Canadian sales were down in Q1. Harley-Davidson says sales in the Great White North dropped 2.4 per cent in the first quarter. With the terrible weather this winter and spring, it’s not hard to see why – cruisers probably haven’t lost their popularity yet, this is just a blip on the screen. Still, it will be interesting at end-of-year to see how the foul weather has affected Canadian motorcycle sales this spring, and whether the rumored hike in gas prices this summer will steer buyers back towards buying two-wheelers.
