Harley-Davidson CEO to step down amidst falling sales numbers

Harley-Davidson will soon undergo a big change in its senior leadership. The well-known premium biker maker’s current CEO will be leaving his position, while the company will look to an external search firm to fill his place.

This development comes amid falling sales and rising concerns regarding the future of the American motorcycle manufacturer. Harley-Davidson is one of the oldest motorcycle manufacturers in the world and is currently the largest premium cruiser manufacturer in the world.

The firm is doing reasonably well in growing markets such as India and China and also a few other European and South-Asian markets. However, it is seeing a massive drop in sales in America, which is also Harley-Davidson’s largest market. The crisis faced by HD in America is fairly complicated.

Harley-Davidson has adopted a strategy that enables it to cater to its traditional buyers while also having products for the upcoming generation. It has on sale big-engined, old-school, low-riding cruisers and hard-tails for the traditional buyers while also having modern and futuristic products like the Pan America adventure bike and LiveWire electric motorcycle.

It seems like, this strategy is not sitting too well with the old, traditional buyers, who seem to be annoyed with the new generation. But Harley-Davidson as a manufacturer has no other choice but to cater to both groups, knowing well that it has to survive in the future too.

Well, this situation has visibly taken its toll on the senior management and Harley-Davidson’s CEO Matthew Leviach has decided to leave the struggling motorcycle manufacturer. Harley-Davidson has announced that he would leave his position as CEO and also his seat amongst the board of directors.

Jochen Zeitz, one of the board members will become the acting president and CEO until an external search firm can find a suitable replacement. Jochen Zeitz was quoted as saying, “The board and Matt mutually agree that now is the time for new leadership at Harley-Davidson.”

Well, only time can tell if the decisions of the senior leadership will yield good results at Harley-Davidson. Meanwhile, all we care about is the amazing bikes that HD makes, and we hope it continues to make them.