A year-and-a-half since Harley-Davidson announced its first dealership in China, sales are lagging, and it appears it's going to be a long time before they pick up.

Personal wealth in China does not appear to the issue. Rather, it's local laws in some 170 cities that make riding large-displacement motorcycles impractical, or making them difficult to own...

Many cities are concerned about congestion. Beijing allows people to own Harleys but only if they don't use them in the city, Doyle noted.

"You essentially can ride them, but you have to start at some distance out of town," Doyle said. "Practically speaking, that's what the situation is going to be for some time."

The company continues to press it's cause through the office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the Commerce Department.

I certainly don't claim to know the situation in China, but I've got this feeling that China doesn't want to see its streets flooded with American made vehicles. I think what China will eventually demand is that all Harleys sold in China must be made in China.

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Labels: China Harley Davidson Dealerships, China Motorcycle Sales