Stop the Harley-Davidson penalty tariff increase, is only a partial success!
Stop the Harley-Davidson penalty tariff increase, is only a partial success!
We must continue to stick together!
When the announcement came from Brussels that the additional punitive tariffs on Harley-Davidson Motorräder vorerst gestoppt sind, konnten besonders die Harley-Davidson Vertragshändlern erstmal durchatmen.
On Harleysite After asking the European Commission, I received confirmation from the Commission spokesperson today:
The additional tariffs under the EU compensatory measures, which were due to come into force on June 1, 2021, will no longer be applied, not even for motorcycles such as Harley-Davidson. The previous ones will remain in force.
Spokesperson of the European Commission
Für Harley-Davidson wird sich bis Ende Dezember nichts ändern, die Strafzölle bleiben auf 25% plus 6% Einfuhrzoll. Nach Harleysite Informationen übernahm die H-D Company die Mehrbelastung, bei US Fahrzeugen (CVO), ohne sie an die Vertragshändler weiterzureichen. Harley-Davidson hatte daraufhin in Thailand eine Produktionsstätte eröffnet, um die bisherigen EU-Strafzölle zu umgehen, die jetzt schon seit 3 Jahren in Kraft sind und somit laut Vorwurf von Harley-Davidson, den Wettbewerb unter den Motorradherstellern verzerren, dem man wohl durchaus zustimmen kann.
Nevertheless, signing the petition is an important signal to the political leadership!
The Harley-Davidson dealer association continues to appeal to the Harley-Davidson community to participate in the petition. So far they have 10600 signatures, which is already quite good, but not nearly enough to exert pressure. External web link to the petition
It is time for motorcyclists to get more involved, there is a lot to do this year!
In general, political topics are always a difficult area, and I actually wanted to stay out of the issue of punitive tariffs, but in the end, after many conversations and letters from a wide variety of people, things turned out differently. Dealers, employees, friends, you could literally feel the energy to want to fight back against injustice.
In der Community selbst und an der Börse, war man eher verhalten, aber die Harley-Davidson Vertragshändler sind sehr nervös und fürchten um ihre Existenz. Und wenn man nichts dagegen unternimmt, kann es auf einmal schnell gehen und alles ist vorbei, wir leben ja gerade jetzt, nicht in besonders rosigen Zeiten.
Delivery capability, model range and the pandemic are weighing on the mind
Die Lieferfähigkeit von Harley-Davidson ist noch nicht wieder auf 100%, die Shops sind kaum geöffnet, bisher keine Events und im Rücken meist eine hohe Investition. Der neue Sportster Nachfolger ist noch nicht im Programm und der Umsatz zu dem bis Dato sehr beliebten Modell fehlt zusätzlich. Zumindest kommen in diesem Jahr 600 Einheiten der Pan America, die sich sehr gut verkauft. Die Nachfrage zu Harley-Davidson Motorrädern ist generell vorhanden, was den Aktionären wohl bekannt ist, denn die haben weiterhin ein großes Vertrauen in die H-D Aktie, was der stabile Kurs aufzeigt. Trotzdem sind es für die Harley-Davidson Vertragshändler sehr unruhige Zeiten, in denen ausgerechnet die EU ihnen das Leben zusätzlich schwer macht. Das kann so nicht weitergehen, darum läuft die Petition auf jeden Fall weiter.
Political issues are slowed down
When I posted the post directly about the petition on the Harleysite Facebook page, including a mention of the BMWi, the post didn't get a single like within 12 hours, which is very unusual with over 150,000 subscribers. It was only after I re-posted it that it was seen and liked 10 times. It doesn't run in the stream, you have to think about the rest. Google, on the other hand, has not blocked the post about the call from the dealer association. Although the article was not new, it ended up in the Harleysite 50-day top ten within two days, which requires at least 10,000 views, more likely more.
The community must move closer together!
As a community, we absolutely have to stick together more this year, whether it's the punitive tariffs or the motorcycle riding bans. The two issues must be kept separate, but we finally need a strong lobby! And we need all of you to do this, join the petition against the punitive tariffs now if you haven't already done so and take part in the planned demonstrations against the motorcycle bans that will take place in many cities this year. On July 4, 2021, further demonstrations against motorcycle bans will take place in various major cities, which are expected to include Leipzig, Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Cologne and Munich.
There is a strong international Harley-Davidson fan community
I don't think there is another brand in the world that has such loyal fans, even if the scene has changed in recent years, some things have become more modern, but social media has made fans even more connected internationally.
In the last Statement from CEO Jochen Zeitz, it was clear how concerned the people in Milwaukee are about these political transatlantic disputes, which they don't really want to have anything to do with! Politicians would be well advised to take these short but concise sentences from Harley-Davidson seriously!
True to the Harley-Davidson motto! „UNITED WE WILL RIDE“
Text: Harleysite 19.05.2021
