Will Harley Roar Again on Reciprocal Tariffs?

Will US President Donald Trump's insistence on "reciprocal tariffs" lead to the American cult bike brand Harley-Davidson's bigger play in India?

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

The Union Budget presented earlier in the month has already cut customs duties on imported premium bikes to make their entry cheaper.

Currently down to selling one India-made X 440, co-developed with Indian partner Hero MotoCorp, and over five fully-built imported models, Harley-Davidson once sold 13 models in India with a starting price of ₹4.69 lakh with 33 dealerships before it shut its manufacturing and sales operations in 2020 as it could not make a mark after more than a decade of presence in the country.

In the Union Budget 2025-26 presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, custom duty on motorcycles with engine capacity of 1,600 cc and above imported as completely built unit (CBU) was slashed to 30% from 50% earlier and for those imported as semi-knocked down (SKD) units to 20% from 205%, while on completely knocked down (CKD) units to 10% from 15% earlier.