The Motor Company’s CEO Steps Down
News came today that Harley-Davidson’s CEO, Jochen Zeitz, is stepping down from his position. The company is now beginning the search for a new leader.
The Motor Company issued a statement late yesterday confirming that Zeitz was stepping down, and that the search for a new CEO was commencing. According to the statement, Zeitz is retiring after five years as the brand’s CEO.
Jochen Zeitz joined Harley-Davidson in 2007 on their board of directors, and was appointed president and CEO in 2020. Zeitz’s vision for Harley-Davidson, which he dubbed “The Hardwire”, took the company in a completely different direction, and most certainly has left an indelible mark on the motorcycle brand. Many of his initiatives and programs were controversial to Harley-Davidson purists, and were an almost complete reversal from the “More Roads to Harley-Davidson” approach of his predecessor, Matt Levatich, who was ousted in 2020 after 26 years, five as CEO.
Rather than expanding model lines and finding new markets, Zeitz’s vision called for trimming models out of their offerings, focusing more on high-end and limited edition models at premium price points, and moving some production overseas, particularly to Thailand. Under his leadership, the electric LiveWire line was created, which hasn’t done as well as they had hoped. The classic Evo Sportster line was scuttled and replaced with water-cooled, overhead valve Sportster S and Nightster models, which haven’t sold in large numbers, yet the brand has seen improved profitability in their premium models.
As we’ve recently noted last fall, large “Taj Mahal“ dealerships across the network have been closing at alarming rates in recent years. Another indication of the ongoing struggle Harley-Davidson has been in. Lance Oliver offered some insightful analysis in his writeup on Common Tread today, and while I’m not sure I completely agree on his every point, it’s a good read.
I’m not envious of whomever steps in to steer the Harley juggernaut forward. They’ve got their work cut out for them. I do hope the best for the iconic brand, with their rich history and incredible legacy in motorcycling. I sincerely hope the brand finds its way back to growth and prosperity. The world of motorcycling is better with Harley-Davidson in it.
Rob
*What do you think about the news? Drop us some thoughts in the comments below!
Hopefully they can return to their roots and promote from within. That way the person already will know what works and what doesn’t.
Perhaps HD can avoid these obtuse “Wave a Magic Wand” leadership avenues that Zeitz pursued.
Although Harley Davidson hasn’t been able to replicate their tremendous success and prosperity that started gradually in the 80’s until around 2008, the company has been working very hard and has made tremendous strides in innovation, technology, and rider enhancements. They do an excellent job of concealing advancements by maintaining the classic aesthetics that many Harley Davidson enthusiasts covet. Although Harley Davidson still has a commanding lead in the touring and large cruiser segments, their product portfolio is relatively small. Over the last few years, the company has made targeted and strategic attempts to enter new markets. Most notably in adventure touring and electric motorcycles. They have also introduced a more modern architecture in some of their models, Pan America, Pan America ST, Sportster S, and Nightster. All of these products are well made, well designed, thoughtful, and generally well received by riders and the media. But, these endeavours haven’t yielded strong enough results to advance the company. Harley Davidson is a 122-year-old company. In that time, they experienced much success as well as challenging times. They have often been counted out, but the naysayers were proven wrong every time. They will be proven wrong once again. This is a tough, gritty, tenacious company and it’s only a matter of when not if, that Harley Davidson will experience good times once again.
Agreed.