HARLEY-DAVIDSON has announced that its halo bike, the LiveWire, will become its own brand. The all-electric motorcycle brand will launch officially on 8 July 2021, a day before its premiere at the International Motorcycle Show on July 9.
“One of the six pillars of the Hardwire Strategy is to lead in electric – by launching LiveWire as an all-electric brand, we are seizing the opportunity to lead and define the market in EV,” Harley-Davidson chairman, president and CEO Jochen Zeitz explained.
“With the mission to be the most desirable electric motorcycle brand in the world, LiveWire will pioneer the future of motorcycling, for the pursuit of urban adventure and beyond,” he added.
“LiveWire also plans to innovate and develop technology that will be applicable to Harley-Davidson electric motorcycles in the future.”
The new brand draws on its DNA as an agile disruptor from the lineage of Harley-Davidson, capitalising on a decade of learnings in the EV sector and the heritage of the most desirable motorcycle brand in the world.
With an initial focus on the urban market, LiveWire will pioneer the electric motorcycle space. The EV bike brand will be headquartered virtually, with initial hubs in Silicon Valley, CA (LiveWire Labs) and Milwaukee, WI.
From the point of launch, LiveWire will work with participating dealers from the Harley-Davidson network as an independent brand. An innovative go-to-market model will blend digital and physical retail formats as well.
This will allow for the tailoring of the experience to the local market and let customers discover LiveWire on their own terms.
Seizing the opportunity to lead in EV and innovating across the customer journey, LiveWire will also operate dedicated EV showrooms in select locations, starting in California.
Here customers will be able to experience the brand in an immersive and innovative way. With a dedicated focus on EV, LiveWire plans to develop the technology of the future and to invest in the capabilities needed to lead the transformation of motorcycling.
The new company expects to benefit from Harley-Davidson’s engineering expertise, manufacturing footprint, supply chain infrastructure and global logistics capabilities.
Harley-Davidson and LiveWire intend to cooperate and share their technological advancements to ensure an industry leading application in their respective core segments.
