????目前，哈雷公司經營情況更加扎實。擁有6大類別30多個不同型號產品，售價從8,000美元到40,000美元不等——都是發動機排量在650毫升以上的重型摩托車。買家們清楚自己想要的東西：1909年設計的與公司幾乎同齡的風冷V型雙缸引擎。質量始終是一個問題。據《消費者報告》（Consumer Reports）數據，哈雷摩托的故障率是日本摩托的2倍。但是，客戶的品牌忠誠度仍然奇高，75%的人都表示會再買哈雷摩托。

????歷經深跌之后，它的銷售業績也開始反彈。2012年，哈雷公司交貨247,625輛摩托，比2011年增長了6.2%，預計2013年銷售業績保持類似增長幅度。盡管同2006年頂峰時期的近350,000輛依然相去甚遠，但與2009年223,023輛的銷售谷底相比已經大有起色。哈雷公司超過三分之一的產品都銷往海外。

????憑借2009年開始的持續重組，哈雷公司不斷提升盈利能力。公司總利潤從2009年的32.3%提升到2012年的34.8%。分析師指出，哈雷工廠的生產效率大幅提升，從十多年前每年每名工人生產33輛摩托車提升到現在的44輛。為了進一步控制成本，哈雷公司還在美國本土之外開設了兩個工廠——其中一個在巴西，另一個在印度。這些工廠在當地組裝生產，以便回避進口稅。

????隨著中年男性的核心客戶群逐漸老去（他們平均年齡已經超過50歲）哈雷公司已經開始拓展包括青年、女性和少數族裔在內的新客戶群。公司將這些人稱為“外圍客戶”。盡管數量不多，但是它2012年的增長速度已經超過核心客戶群。

????意料之中的是，哈雷不會為擴大客戶群而做任何讓步；針對外圍客戶投放的產品也融入了反叛的生活方式。2009年，為了吸引新客戶，哈雷公司推出了樸實復古的運動者鐵漢883（Iron 883 Sportster）車型，售價7,999美元。哈雷公司絕不會在壞孩子形象方面打折扣，同時還打出“騎本田的都是大好人”（You meet the nicest people on a Honda）這樣的廣告。哈雷在促銷材料中將這款883同1957年上市的運動者原型聯系起來，大打復古牌和“剛毅老派的車庫風格”，還說“這款暗黑的大家伙是原始激進的復古回歸。沒有鍍鉻件的閃閃發光，也絕不愧疚低調——騎上它，感受傳統。”似乎哈雷公司對客戶和自己了如指掌，以至于無須做出任何改變。（財富中文網）

????譯者：郭延航

????Today, Harley is on a more solid footing. It sells more than 30 different models in six product categories, ranging in price from $8,000 to nearly $40,000 -- all of them classified as heavyweight bikes whose engines displace more than 650 cc. Its buyers know what to expect: The air-cooled V-twin engine that is Harley's mainstay is almost as old as the company itself, having been devised in 1909. Quality remains an issue. According toConsumer Reports, Harley owners experience a serious problem twice as often as owners of some Japanese bikes. Still, its customers remain exceptionally loyal, with 75% saying they would buy their bike again.

????Sales are ticking upward again after a deep slump. Harley-Davidson shipped 247,625 motorcycles in 2012, up 6.2% from 2011, and it forecasts a similar gain in 2013. That's a far cry from the motorcycle maker's peak in 2006 when Harley shipped near 350,000 bikes -- but a healthy improvement over 2009, when sales bottomed at 223,023. More than one third of Harley's sales are made overseas.

????Thanks to an ongoing restructuring begun in 2009, Harley has been expanding its profitability. The company's gross margins have improved from 32.3% in 2009 to 34.8% in 2012. Analysts figure that production efficiency at Harley plants has increased markedly, from 33 bikes per employee per year a decade ago to more than 41 now. For more cost-effective production, Harley has set up two assembly plants outside the U.S. -- one in Brazil and the other in India. These facilities help the company assemble parts locally and avoid import tariffs.

????With its core audience of middle-aged males graying -- their average age is probably north of 50 -- Harley has been trying to expand its appeal to include young adults, women, and minorities. It refers to these demographic categories as "outreach customers." Though still small, their numbers grew faster than those of core customers in 2012.

????It probably isn't surprising that Harley is making few concessions in order to broaden its owner base; any outreach customers will find their new bikes come wrapped in the rebel lifestyle. In 2009, Harley introduced a bare-bones retro-bike called the Iron 883 Sportster and priced it at $7,999 to attract new customers. But it didn't try to soften its bad-boy image with any "You meet the nicest people on a Honda"-style ad campaign. In its promotional material, Harley links the 883 to the original Sportster, introduced in 1957, with its retro style and "gritty, old-school garage features" and warned that "this blacked-out bruiser is a raw, aggressive throwback. No chrome no apologies -- just an authentic ride and old school style." It seems that Harley knows its customers -- and itself -- only too well to change its ways.