Indian Motorcycle Won’t Build Entry-Level Bike, Says New CEO

Iconic American motorcycle brand, Indian Motorcycle is celebrating its 125^th anniversary. And even though the brand only recently broke away from parent company Polaris to form its own independent identity, its new CEO has confirmed that Indian isn’t looking to enter the entry-level motorcycle segment. Indian Motorcycle’s new CEO Mike Kennedy has been quoted in reports as confirming this during a Q&A with the media.

Also Read: Indian Motorcycle Parts Ways With Polaris

While Indian will continue to focus on middle and heavyweight cruisers, baggers and touring models, the entry-level segment, which a lot of motorcycle brands are betting on, isn’t in the cards for Indian Motorcycle. Kennedy says that Indian already has accessible bikes in the middleweight space and the entry-level segment isn’t something the brand will focus on in its strategy to achieve further growth.

Also Read: Select Harley Models To Attract Zero Duty In India

Indian’s closest rival is Harley-Davidson, a brand which is already betting on the entry-level segment with its made-in-India X440 platform. Royal Enfield which operates in the mid-size segment, has already been reporting record sales volumes and unprecedented growth in overseas markets, a fact which has now led to Royal Enfield thinking of ramping up its total production to meet the demand across the world.

Also Read: Royal Enfield To Ramp Up Annual Production Capacity To 2 Million

While it's easy to see Indian Motorcycle’s confidence in its strengths – that is, full-size heavyweight cruisers and pure American touring motorcycles, it’s no secret that the US market for such bikes isn’t exactly on a winning streak as far as growth in concerned. Even Harley-Davidson has been facing the pressure for long now, with demand for its all-American cruisers not seeing the growth it used to enjoy a decade ago.

For Indian Motorcycle, a brand which is on a new path to forge a new journey, it will be interesting to see how its product and market strategy pans out in the coming months. If you’ve forgotten, Indian hardly has any presence in India now. Even in India, consumer interest has moved on from cruisers a decade ago to more versatile machines in recent years, including ADVs and sport touring models. We feel any winning strategy in the 21^st century for a motorcycle brand should keep in mind current trends, and the way the market is shaping up, particularly in the world’s largest motorcycle market.