We’ve got Jochen Zeitz, Harley’s CEO, in an interview with Kyodo News talking about getting electric motorcycles into Japan’s markets.
… But wait, didn’t LiveWire go public late last year? Didn’t they just get themselves a new CEO to take over for Jochen Zeits, and wasn’t that just finalized four days ago?
Yes, and yes.
Despite all of this, Zeitz is stating that “the company’s electric motorcycle division… was spun off in 2022 but remains under its control.”
Currently, Zeitz sits on LiveWire’s board as their Chairman – and while the man’s role in the electric brand is yet to be detailed in a public press release, there’s no denying that Harley’s CEO is just as obsessed with electric power as he ever was.
LiveWire’s S2 Del Mar. Media sourced from LiveWire.“There is a long-term transition from combustion (engines) to whatever the technology is going to be,” CEO Jochen Zeitz imparts in the interview.
“We want to be a pioneer in the transition.”
Harley’s attempts to play pioneer in the electric markets of Japan will have LiveWire offerings competing against Yamaha and Honda, both of whose units don’t speak to Zeitz as hefty competition for LiveWire machines.
“I have yet to see an electric motorcycle from Japanese brands in the segment where LiveWire is competing,” says Zeitz, who thinks that LiveWire bikes “are bigger than rival products.”
LiveWire’s S2 Del Mar. Media sourced from LiveWire.Who Will LiveWire Sell Their Bikes To in Japan?
While Zeitz believes that bigger is better in today’s two-wheeled equation, the Chairman is also convicted that LiveWire’s tech will be a second big reason to buy.
LiveWire’s S2 Del Mar. Media sourced from LiveWire.Why Japan?
As of today, we’re told that Japan is the second largest market for Harley-Davidson motorcycles – second only to America, in fact.
This means that Zeitz’s talks about Harley’s movement in Japan could soon bleed over to Western shores, and vice versa.
Bottom line, those who “expect to have powerful engines on their motorcycles” will always cast a keen eye on Harley’s lineups; the question is whether or not traditional fuel will keep the iconic motorcycle marque in line with their Hardwire Strategy.