05-21-2020, 07:05 AM
It's interesting to watch how different brands have had to react to competitors encroaching on their turf. In the '70s and '80s, American cars were, let's face it, crap. Honda and Toyota were eating their lunch, and GM, Ford and Chrysler had to improve to survive.
More recently, I'd argue that Honda and Toyota had become complacent. The cars were reliable, but had become very lackluster. The 2011/2012 Civic was not recommended by Consumer Reports for the first time in its history, and Honda executives actually apologized for having built a sub-par car. Having rented Corollas of the same vintage, I was surprised at how noisy and rough they felt. Meanwhile, KIA and Hyundai were upping their game from Korea, and started eating into Honda and Toyota's market. Now they were in the same position the American brands had previously been. The Japanese brands had to get better.
HD is in the position to expand their offerings, and they've shown prototypes of what those might be. But, if they get axed, as others have said, where does HD have to go but into a niche brand position, for the dwindling number of riders who can afford a luxury cruiser with a large price tag, or the guys who are happy shelling out for one of their smaller models.
More recently, I'd argue that Honda and Toyota had become complacent. The cars were reliable, but had become very lackluster. The 2011/2012 Civic was not recommended by Consumer Reports for the first time in its history, and Honda executives actually apologized for having built a sub-par car. Having rented Corollas of the same vintage, I was surprised at how noisy and rough they felt. Meanwhile, KIA and Hyundai were upping their game from Korea, and started eating into Honda and Toyota's market. Now they were in the same position the American brands had previously been. The Japanese brands had to get better.
HD is in the position to expand their offerings, and they've shown prototypes of what those might be. But, if they get axed, as others have said, where does HD have to go but into a niche brand position, for the dwindling number of riders who can afford a luxury cruiser with a large price tag, or the guys who are happy shelling out for one of their smaller models.