SynopsisThe Harley-Hero partnership, which has on sale the HD X440 and Hero Mavrick in the local market, has planned a slew of launches this fiscal to strengthen its play in the premium segment.ReutersHarley-DavidsonNew Delhi: Iconic American motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson is looking at expanding its collaboration with Hero MotoCorp to co-develop and build entry-level performance motorcycles and cruisers in India for sale globally.Launches PlannedThe Harley-Hero partnership, which has on sale the HD X440 and Hero Mavrick in the local market, has planned a slew of launches this fiscal to strengthen its play in the premium segment.Also Read: Royal Enfield sales up 15 pc in May at 1,03,231 unitsSome of these models will be shipped out for the first time for sale in emerging markets, industry insiders aware of the plans told ET.First off the block will be the Harley-Davidson Sprint, which is set to hit the roads later this year.More products are set to follow in the coming months, people cited above said. "Hero is an important partner, and we continue to work with them in support of our strategy to expand access to Harley-Davidson in key markets," Harley-Davidson told ET in response to a query on its plans to co-develop products with Hero MotoCorp and utilise India as a manufacturing base for exports. It did not share any details.Harshavardhan Chitale, chief executive of Hero MotoCorp, confirmed more Harley-branded launches are planned this year, but declined to specify if these would make their way to international markets.Also Read: Royal Enfield launches Bullet 650 in India: Check price, features, specifications and more"The Hero-Harley collaboration doesn't restrict sales to India only-if Harley finds suitability for the product in its global markets, it can take it from Hero to sell elsewhere; that decision rests with Harley," he said in a recent interaction.The development comes at a time when Harley has outlined a new product-led strategy, 'Back to Bricks', to accelerate sales and gain market share by leveraging existing investments.The American cult bike maker plans to launch 20 new models and variants based on existing platforms to lower the entry barrier and reach out to a wider set of customers over the next three years, its global president and CEO Artie Starrs told investors in a presentation last month. Harley-Davidson's global retail volumes have declined by 40% between 2019 and 2025, squeezing margins by 18% and degrading dealer profitability by 80% in this period.As part of a strategy to build a footprint at the upper end of the market, Hero MotoCorp plans to utilise its facility in Neemrana (Rajasthan) dedicatedly for making premium motorcycles. The company is also rapidly scaling premium-only showrooms, now over 130 and growing weekly, positioning Harley as the flagship offering to boost volumes locally.Harley-Davidson, which opened a plant in Bawal (Haryana) in 2011, decided to stop manufacturing operations in India in 2019 because of weak sales volumes and sustained financial losses as high import tariffs fully built and even knocked-down bikes made its products uncompetitive. It signed a licensing and distribution agreement with Hero MotoCorp in 2020 to sell and service its motorcycles and also sell parts and accessories and general merchandise riding gear and apparel through a network of brand-exclusive Harley-Davidson dealers and Hero MotoCorp's existing dealership network in India.The agreement also envisioned joint development and manufacturing of motorcycles at Hero MotoCorp facility.The HD X440, the first product jointly developed by the two companies, is priced upwards of ₹2.35 lakh (ex-showroom). Hero also sells its own variant of the model, branded as Mavrick.Hero sold 14,375 units of these two models in the last financial year. With a share of about 11% in the segment (more than 350 cc less than 500 cc), it is already the third largest player behind Bajaj Auto and Royal Enfield. In the premium bike category, operating profit margins often exceed those for software exports.Read More News on...moreless