• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • All-Electric Buzz Debut Conjures Up Tales of VW’s Past
  • The Rearview Mirror: America’s Last New Automaker Before Tesla
  • EPA Says Fisker Ocean Goes Farther than Predicted
  • Ford Sales Rise in May Despite EV Decline
  • First Look: Volkswagen Reveals U.S. Version of the ID.Buzz EV Microbus
  • Building Buzz: How Volkswagen Went from the Microbus to the ID.Buzz
  • Sales of New Vehicles Show Big Increase During May
  • Lucid Gets $3 Billion Lifeline, Mostly from Saudi Arabia
  • Faraday Future Reveals Launch Edition of the FF 91
  • UAW Plans to Get Aggressive for Coming Auto Talks
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2023 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Estrema Q4
    • A Week With: 2023 Lexus NX 350h Luxury
    • A Week With: 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL R-Line
    • First Drive: 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium RWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Electrified GV70 AWD Prestige
    • A Week With: 2023 BMW XM
    • A Week With: 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLS 580 4Matic
    • First Drive: 2024 Audi Q8 e-Tron Prestige
    • First Drive: 2024 Volvo C40 Recharge Single Motor
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automobiles > Friends to Enemies: Trump Threatens Harley Over Plan to Move Production

        Friends to Enemies: Trump Threatens Harley Over Plan to Move Production

        “They will be taxed like never before.”

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        June 27, 2018
        President Donald Trump has gone from being supportive of Harley-Davidson to threatening the company with a "huge" tax.

        After hailing Harley-Davidson earlier in his administration as an example of what makes American great, President Donald Trump has now gone on the attack, threatening to slam the Wisconsin-based motorcycle company with “a big tax” if they go ahead with plans to move some of their production abroad.

        The turnaround comes in response to Harley’s Monday announcement that to avoid being caught up in the escalating Trump trade war it would have to move some of its motorcycle out of the U.S. The company said tariffs and counter-tariffs are adding as much as $2,200 to the price of every bike it ships to the European Union.

        We Keep You In the Know!

        The fact that his steel and aluminum tariffs might be playing a factor in the decision did not appear to matter to the president who issued a series of tweets blasting its planned move and threatening that, “If they move, watch, it will be the beginning of the end – they surrendered, they quit! The Aura will be gone and they will be taxed like never before!”

        Exactly what that means isn’t clear. Harley has not offered any details about its planned production shift, nor whether it might subsequently ship some foreign-made motorcycles back to the U.S., where they could face new tariffs.

        (“Nearly every segment of auto industry” threatened by Trump trade tactics. Click Here for the story.)

        What the company did note on Monday is that some tariffs affecting the company, such as Trump-enacted duties on foreign steel and aluminum, along with new, 31% tariffs being imposed by the EU, will cost it about $100 million annually, or roughly $2,200 for every bike shipped to Europe.

        “Harley-Davidson believes the tremendous cost increase, if passed onto its dealers and retail customers, would have an immediate and lasting detrimental impact to its business in the region,” the company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, “reducing customer access to Harley-Davidson products and negatively impacting the sustainability of its dealers’ businesses.”

        Ironically, Harley has been a prime example of the sort of business candidate Donald Trump said he wanted to see in America, the company exporting 43% of its production, with a goal of increasing that to 50%. The EU alone accounts for about 16% of the company’s volume, about 40,000 motorcycles last year.

        It remains to be seen where Harley might shift some of its U.S. production, but it was already planning to open a small plant in Thailand to give it access to that country’s large motorcycle market. Imports are relatively limited due to 60% tariffs. The company could opt to expand production there, or use one of the other plants it operates in Brazil, India, Italy, Portugal or Spain. An entirely new site could be added, as well.

        Harley can ill afford to get caught up in a trade war that reduces global sales. The company earlier this year announced it would close a factory in Kansas City, Missouri, a plant that currently employs 800 workers. Production will be consolidated into a facility in York, Pennsylvania.

        The motorcycle maker has come under fire from some of those employees who said they felt betrayed by the move which came after Harley announced it would use a large chunk of the money it got under the Trump Administration’s tax bill to increase shareholder dividends and buy back $700 million of its own stock.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published

        All-Electric Buzz Debut Conjures Up Tales of VW’s Past

        Yesterday

        The Rearview Mirror: America’s Last New Automaker Before Tesla

        Yesterday
        Fisker Ocean EV driving mountain

        EPA Says Fisker Ocean Goes Farther than Predicted

        June 02, 2023

        2 responses to “Friends to Enemies: Trump Threatens Harley Over Plan to Move Production”

        1. Allen says:
          July 2, 2018 at 7:16 pm

          I understand that Harley either owns, or at one time owned, Agusta. Anyone know if that is true/still true?

          Reply
          1. Paul A. Eisenstein says:
            July 3, 2018 at 10:59 am

            Not from what I can track down, but I am not 100% certain, Allen.

            Paul E.

            Reply

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: