Harley-Davidson Sales Drop In Q2

MILWAUKEE – Is this odd? Ducati recently reported sales growth of 22 percent for the first six months of 2015 over 2014. BMW reported a sales increase of 10.5 percent during the same time period. However, Harley-Davidson, which saw its sales dip 0.7 percent in the first quarter of 2015 followed up with a 1.4 percent drop in Q2.

Harley-Davdison reported its second quarter diluted earnings were $1.44 per share, down from $1.62 a year ago. Second quarter net income was $299.8 million on revenue of $1.82 billion, compared to net income of $354.2 million on revenue of $2.0 billion in Q2 of 2014.

“In the face of a tough competitive environment, driven mostly by currency and greater competitive activity, we are leveraging our many strengths and meeting the challenge head on,” said Matt Levatich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Harley-Davidson, Inc. “Our actions during the quarter have had a positive impact. We are encouraged by the momentum at retail as the quarter progressed, both in the U.S. and internationally.”

Levatich continued, “We are confident in the strength of our business and the strategies we have in place to maintain our industry leadership and grow our business over the long term. Our singular focus on the customer through unrivaled products, unique experiences and our expanding dealer network is the bedrock we are building on to continue to grow our reach and impact with customers across the globe.”