Harley-Davidson‘s (NYSE:HOG) 2014 results, announced on January 29, highlighted how the iconic heavyweight motorcycle manufacturer is committed to deriving growth from international markets and through new product launches more suited to the current trends. The company’s motorcycle revenues rose 5.9% last year, and net revenues crossed the $6 billion mark for the first time since 2006. Overall motorcycle shipments grew 3.9% to 270,726 units, in line with the company’s guidance, which was previously lowered to 270,000-275,000 units following Q2, from the estimated 279,000-284,000 units, as bad weather and low customer demand in the U.S. stalled sales.
The U.S. forms approximately two-thirds of the net shipments for Harley, and, as expected, subdued retail sales in the country, which were up only 1.3% in 2014, kept a check on the company’s overall retail sales. Harley’s net retail sales growth has slowed to … More