哈雷再次轰鸣

    目前，哈雷公司经营情况更加扎实。拥有6大类别30多个不同型号产品，售价从8,000美元到40,000美元不等——都是发动机排量在650毫升以上的重型摩托车。买家们清楚自己想要的东西：1909年设计的与公司几乎同龄的风冷V型双缸引擎。质量始终是一个问题。据《消费者报告》（Consumer Reports）数据，哈雷摩托的故障率是日本摩托的2倍。但是，客户的品牌忠诚度仍然奇高，75%的人都表示会再买哈雷摩托。

    历经深跌之后，它的销售业绩也开始反弹。2012年，哈雷公司交货247,625辆摩托，比2011年增长了6.2%，预计2013年销售业绩保持类似增长幅度。尽管同2006年顶峰时期的近350,000辆依然相去甚远，但与2009年223,023辆的销售谷底相比已经大有起色。哈雷公司超过三分之一的产品都销往海外。

    凭借2009年开始的持续重组，哈雷公司不断提升盈利能力。公司总利润从2009年的32.3%提升到2012年的34.8%。分析师指出，哈雷工厂的生产效率大幅提升，从十多年前每年每名工人生产33辆摩托车提升到现在的44辆。为了进一步控制成本，哈雷公司还在美国本土之外开设了两个工厂——其中一个在巴西，另一个在印度。这些工厂在当地组装生产，以便回避进口税。

    随着中年男性的核心客户群逐渐老去（他们平均年龄已经超过50岁）哈雷公司已经开始拓展包括青年、女性和少数族裔在内的新客户群。公司将这些人称为“外围客户”。尽管数量不多，但是它2012年的增长速度已经超过核心客户群。

    意料之中的是，哈雷不会为扩大客户群而做任何让步；针对外围客户投放的产品也融入了反叛的生活方式。2009年，为了吸引新客户，哈雷公司推出了朴实复古的运动者铁汉883（Iron 883 Sportster）车型，售价7,999美元。哈雷公司绝不会在坏孩子形象方面打折扣，同时还打出“骑本田的都是大好人”（You meet the nicest people on a Honda）这样的广告。哈雷在促销材料中将这款883同1957年上市的运动者原型联系起来，大打复古牌和“刚毅老派的车库风格”，还说“这款暗黑的大家伙是原始激进的复古回归。没有镀鉻件的闪闪发光，也绝不愧疚低调——骑上它，感受传统。”似乎哈雷公司对客户和自己了如指掌，以至于无须做出任何改变。（财富中文网）

    译者：郭延航

    Today, Harley is on a more solid footing. It sells more than 30 different models in six product categories, ranging in price from $8,000 to nearly $40,000 -- all of them classified as heavyweight bikes whose engines displace more than 650 cc. Its buyers know what to expect: The air-cooled V-twin engine that is Harley's mainstay is almost as old as the company itself, having been devised in 1909. Quality remains an issue. According toConsumer Reports, Harley owners experience a serious problem twice as often as owners of some Japanese bikes. Still, its customers remain exceptionally loyal, with 75% saying they would buy their bike again.

    Sales are ticking upward again after a deep slump. Harley-Davidson shipped 247,625 motorcycles in 2012, up 6.2% from 2011, and it forecasts a similar gain in 2013. That's a far cry from the motorcycle maker's peak in 2006 when Harley shipped near 350,000 bikes -- but a healthy improvement over 2009, when sales bottomed at 223,023. More than one third of Harley's sales are made overseas.

    Thanks to an ongoing restructuring begun in 2009, Harley has been expanding its profitability. The company's gross margins have improved from 32.3% in 2009 to 34.8% in 2012. Analysts figure that production efficiency at Harley plants has increased markedly, from 33 bikes per employee per year a decade ago to more than 41 now. For more cost-effective production, Harley has set up two assembly plants outside the U.S. -- one in Brazil and the other in India. These facilities help the company assemble parts locally and avoid import tariffs.

    With its core audience of middle-aged males graying -- their average age is probably north of 50 -- Harley has been trying to expand its appeal to include young adults, women, and minorities. It refers to these demographic categories as "outreach customers." Though still small, their numbers grew faster than those of core customers in 2012.

    It probably isn't surprising that Harley is making few concessions in order to broaden its owner base; any outreach customers will find their new bikes come wrapped in the rebel lifestyle. In 2009, Harley introduced a bare-bones retro-bike called the Iron 883 Sportster and priced it at $7,999 to attract new customers. But it didn't try to soften its bad-boy image with any "You meet the nicest people on a Honda"-style ad campaign. In its promotional material, Harley links the 883 to the original Sportster, introduced in 1957, with its retro style and "gritty, old-school garage features" and warned that "this blacked-out bruiser is a raw, aggressive throwback. No chrome no apologies -- just an authentic ride and old school style." It seems that Harley knows its customers -- and itself -- only too well to change its ways.