Iconic bikemaker Harley-Davidson will begin local assembly of bikes at its upcoming plant in Haryana in the first half of 2011.
Currently all Harleys are imported as completely built units thereby attracting the highest rate of import duties and tariffs. Local assembly will enable Harley to price its bikes cheaper by 20-25% and reach out to more premium bike buyers and enthusiasts. The new plant in Bawal, Haryana will be able to only assemble 200 bikes per year and the capacity will be increased as demand goes up.
At present the entry level Harley Davidson bikes is priced at Rs. 6.95 lakh but this figure is likely to go down by a couple of lakh as local assembly begins next year. The first bike series to be assembled in India will be the 883cc Sportster.
