Expert warns legendary US motorcycle brand faces death knell because of Trumps EU tariffs
Motorcycle experts warned that Donald Trumps escalating trade war could destroy iconic American brand Harley-Davidson.
Motorcycle experts warned that Donald Trumps escalating trade war could destroy iconic American brand Harley-Davidson.
The president has promised to roll out a set of tariffs on Wednesday that trade partners have vowed to hit back at.
European Union leaders are said to be considering retaliating with 50 percent tariffs on US goods such as Jack Daniels whiskey, Harley Davidson motorbikes and Levis jeans.
Motorcycle industry consultant Michael Uhlarik warned the high tax could cause prices to soar and cause irreparable damage to the company in Europe.
Even a 10 percent to 20 percent increase in pricing plus antipathy toward American brands in general would be a death knell, he told The Wall Street Journal.
Harleys Road Glide, a touring model that starts at $28,000 in the U.S., is already around $77,000 once the countrys 25 percent value-added tax and 150 percent luxury tax are added.
The proposed new EU tariff would take the Road Glide price to $124,000, the company said.
Harleys Chief Financial Officer, Jonathan Root, warned Congress on Tuesday that its products are also afflicted by unfair trade policies in other markets and they want to see its overseas rivals to face reciprocal duties when they export bikes into the U.S.
Motorcycle experts warned that Donald Trump s escalating trade war could destroy iconic American brand Harley-Davidson
Furious bikers turned their back on the iconic motorcycle brand, blaming CEO Jochen Zeitzs (pictured) support for woke policies
Competitor brands should not be allowed to take advantage of low-cost manufacturing and preferential import duty when accessing the U.S. market, Root said.
The iconic American brand suffered major backlash last year after campaigners exposed its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
They backlash forced the company to backtrack in August, with the brand saying they were saddened by the negativity on social media which according to them was designed to divide the Harley-Davidson community.
They added: We have not operated a DEI function since April 2024, and we do not have a DEI function today.
We do not have hiring quotas and we no longer have supplier diversity spend goals.
The company said they would be reviewing all their sponsorships and outside organization they affiliate.
According to the statement they will also be establishing a way to review all sponsorships in house, and suggested they could drop some sponsorships.
Motorcycle-industry consultant Michael Uhlarik warned the high tax could cause prices to soar and cause irreparable damage to the company in Europe
The proposed new EU tariff would take the Road Glide price, which costs $28,000 in the U.S., to $124,000 in Europe, the company said
It also suggest that the company would drop some sponsorships which could include LGBTQ+ Pride festivals.
They said the brand would be moving forward working exclusively on growing the sport of motorcycling.
On top of this, they said they would also be ending their relationship with the Human Rights Campaign, a well known LGBTQ+ advocacy group.
The statement added: We remain committed to listening to all members of our community.