For the fifth straight year, Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson Inc. was the No. 1 seller of new street motorcycles (all engine sizes) in the United States to young adults ages, 18-34, women, African-Americans and Hispanics, as well as Caucasian men ages 35 plus. The newly available data from Polk shows that Harley-Davidson experienced a double-digit market share gain from 2008 to 2012 in the U.S. with these customer groups.
Harley-Davidson chief marketing officer Mark-Hans Richer attributes the company’s success to its unique purpose.
“We don’t just build motorcycles. We fuel personal freedom,” Richer said. “The desire for individual expression draws customers from all walks of life because it’s a universal, human value that transcends cultures, generations and history.”
In 2012, sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles grew in each of the company’s key U.S. customer segments. Altogether, Harley-Davidson’s U.S. sales to young adults, women, African Americans and Hispanics grew at more than twice the rate of sales to Caucasian men 35 plus.
According to the Polk data, for street motorcycles (all engine sizes):
- Harley-Davidson attracts more U.S. young adults, ages 18-34, than any other motorcycle brand in the U.S., and in 2012 sold nearly twice as many new street motorcycles to young adults as its nearest competitor.
- The company sold more new street motorcycles in 2012 to women in the U.S. than all other brands combined.
- Harley-Davidson sold nearly half of all new street motorcycles purchased by African-Americans and Hispanics respectively in the U.S. in 2012.
“It’s more than an adage that almost no two Harley-Davidson motorcycles are alike,” Richer said. “The same is true for our customers. Members of our community come from all different cultures, backgrounds and generations, and their shared attitude about life is the tie that binds.”
